Together We'll Heal
by Val.R
Summary: Dr. Santana Lopez has never cared enough to commit herself to anyone for more than a few hours. Her friends and family are constantly trying to get her to settle down. How far is Santana willing to go for a woman that comes through her ER on the brink of death?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Minor Trigger Warning for graphic description of an assault. Nothing too bad but better safe than sorry. And, I hope you guys enjoy this one.

-x-

Santana Lopez begrudgingly dragged herself into the locker room to get ready for her first shift of the week at the hospital. She loved her job but the first shift is always the toughest, especially after a long weekend.

"How was your weekend with your giiiirlfriend, Lopez?" teased her best friend and colleague Quinn Fabray as she opened the locker next to Santana's.

"She is NOT my girlfriend; sex isn't dating." Santana scoffed as she pulled out the scrubs she'd be wearing for the first part of her 36 hour shift in the E.R.. "And, it was all right until she said we should move in together. Major turn off." She shook her head in annoyance as she finished changing. She sat down on the bench, waiting for Quinn to finish changing. "We were coming down from a round of steamy sex, when she says 'let's live together. Then we can do this whenever we want.' This crazy bitch. Like, what is she talking about? We DO, well I do, do this whenever we want. She doesn't need to be on my lady dick 24/7. Who the hell wants that? I kindly gathered my clothing and left. I went home and caught up on my telenovelas with Tequila." She finished with a simple shrug.

"Santana," Quinn began as started to undress "what are you doing? Not just with your 'pseudo girlfriend' but, what are you doing with your life? You're 32 years old, working 96 hours weeks, and when you're not working you're going through girls like we go through scrubs. I can't even remember the last time you messed around with a girl longer than a month!" She exclaimed as she yanked up her pants.

"What's wrong with that?" Santana responded with a smirk. "That sounds perfect to me, it seems to me that I'm living _the_ life."

Quinn arched her eyebrow at her friend as she shut her locker. "Look, for some fucked up reason, you're my best friend; I care about you. You're in your 30's now, don't you think you should begin to at least try to settle down right about now? Why don't you give Elaine a shot? She's nice, she's been putting up with your bullshit for this long, and she's attractive. You're not going to find much better. Sorry, no offense." She saw that Santana was going to protest but kept going, "What's stopping you from actually trying to form an adult relationship with her instead of fucking girls like you're still in college?"

"I don't need anyone. I'm fine with the way things are right now. I like my space and when I need company, I can cuddle up to my little chihuahua I have waiting for me at home. When I need family, I can FaceTime my family or I can just borrow your kids. And when I need lady company, I can go out and find that. It's fine, I am fine. The only reason Elaine has been around this long is because we work together so we can sneak in quickies in the on-call room and she isn't – well, wasn't – pushing me for anything more." Santana cringes at the memory of Elaine insanely suggesting they move in together. "She's fine with the way things are. If she brings up this living together bullshit again, I'm banning her from my lady loving factory for good. Problem solved." Santana dismissively waved her hand.

Quinn sighed, she really does love Santana but wishes she would settle down. She doesn't want Santana to regret how she's been living now when she's older and alone. Alone with a damn chihuahua.

"Santana, I just want you to be happy. Truly happy. I know I sound like a broken record but the only way you're going to get me to stop is to stop fucking around, settle down, and give your nieces and nephews some cousins. Even Rachel, who spent about seven years praying that you never reproduce, is asking for some nieces to spoil and some nephews to dress up."

"Okaayyy, hold on." Santana exclaimed as she held up her hands, shocked that Quinn would suggest such a thing. "Kids? Calm that shit down, babe. I'm not in pediatrics for a reason. Just because you and Treasure Trail have an army of little monsters, doesn't mean I have to go through the tragedy that is parenthood. I'm more than happy just being 'Auntie San-San'. I love your kids, you know I do. BUT, do you know what I love more?"

"What?" questioned Quinn. What could she possibly love more than her kids, her kids were awesome.

"Giving them the hell back." Santana answered with a smug look on her face which promptly turned into a horrified look. "My poor little chihuahua can't handle anymore damn bows or glitter eyelashes, I'm tired of repainting over your kids' 'masterpieces' in my living room, and I will always resent Amy for puking all over my Armani cigarette pants that one time. She could've aimed three inches to the left and all would've been fine!" And she takes a second to pay respect to those pants. "But, no! It's like she was out for vengeance. I'm telling you, she's going to end up wearing flannel and jean cutoffs for the rest of her life, kid doesn't know fashion when she sees it." she muttered while crossing her arms again.

"Yeah, that was hilarious and completely your fault. Why would you wear that around a two year old, Santana? You're a damn doctor too, you know the digestive trends in children." Quinn takes a second to think about what she wants to say. As she begins she lays a comforting hand on Santana's knee. "All of that stuff you said is true, and theeeen some. But it's also just tiny part of parenthood. When they run into your arms, telling you they love you and that they have the bestest and prettiest mommies in the whole wide world, all the puke and sleepless nights and ruined shoes are all forgotten." She let's Santana take all of that in but she knows it probably didn't have any affect. "And, by the way, thanks for naming your dog 'Tequila.' I just absolutely love the looks we get when they tell their teachers and friends' parents all about how awesome Tequila is and how they can't wait to spend time with Tequila." Quinn sarcastically finished while glaring at Santana.

Santana chuckled a little, "Don't blame that on me, he chose his own name when he miraculously pulled out that bottle of Cuervo from my liquor cabinet. It was meant to be. And it was Cuervo Silver so he knows his shit." She joked as she looked down at her watch. "All right, all right, as much as I would love to sit here on this disgusting locker room bench and chit chat about all the wonderful lady sex I'm having because I'm not taking care of four little kids all day, I think there are people in that waiting room that may or may not be in need of medical attention. And, who better to tend to them medically if not this piece of fine ass, who just so happens to have a couple of degrees?" Santana said as she motioned toward her own body as she began to walk out. "Oh, and another thing? Don't you or Rachel ever call Elaine or any other girl I fuck my 'girlfriend.' That's fucking gross, okay?"

Santana walked out letting the locker room door slam shut. She checked her beeper and phone as she made her way toward the elevator, occasionally catching the eye of a nurse or another doctor. Even in scrubs, she had the ability to make ladies swoon. She swears it's the hair. Doesn't matter if they're extensions, it still looks damn good. She reaches the elevator and as soon as the doors are about to close, Elaine just manages to slither in.

Son of bitch, Santana thought, this is NOT fucking Grey's Anatomy.

"Hey, babe." Greeted Elaine and leaned in to give Santana a kiss. Santana accepted the kiss but only offered a nod as a response. "Sooo, did you think about what I said?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you, I think I will start using your mechanic to get my tune-ups from now on." Santana offered a tight-lipped smile as she tried to play dumb.

After Elaine scoffed, she was pretty sure playing dumb didn't really pan out. Damn it, she has to cut Elaine off now.

"Santana, we've been going at this for months now." Oh, my gosh, Santana thought. How long is this fucking elevator ride. It's only three fucking floors. "I need some sort of sign that you want to be _with me_ instead of just wanting to fuck me or I'm going to walk away from this." Right on cue, the doors opened. Yes!

"Sorry, I don't do that. See you around, you were really cool. Let's have drinks, but without the sex. Call me." Santana tried to appease the situation but didn't really know how well that'll work out. It wouldn't hurt to have friends, right? There's only so much of the Fabrays she can take. And Kurt? Don't even get her started on Kurt. But she can't really complain, he's always trying to dress her up like his own personal Dominican Barbie doll. His own outfits are hit or miss but his outfits for her are always on point.

Maybe Quinn did have a point. Maybe she's too old to be sleeping around. As much as she hated to admit it, her looks weren't going to last forever. And without her looks, what did she have? Money, a dog, and the best collection of heels this side of the Mason-Dixon line. What was that going to get her? A gold-digger or Kurt for the rest of her life. Santana grimaces at the thought of solely being the hag to his fag forever.

Damn it, Quinn. Fuck you.

As she was planning her revenge against Quinn, her beeper went off, signaling that her presence was needed immediately at the E.R.. She jogged the rest of the way to the double doors and pushed through to hear the sirens of the ambulance and the EMTs yelling out the stats of the patient.

"Blood pressure has been continuously dropping since we picked her up. We administered meds and oxygen but now her BP is 42 over 30. She has severe lacerations to her face and abdomen. Her ribs are visible broken and there is a massive amount of blood pooling in the area." the EMT finished informing the doctors.

"Okay, prep her for an OR. She's losing too much blood. It'll have to be an exploratory laparotomy for now and do as much damage control as they can." Santana finished ordering when she saw the police officers in uniform waiting by the entrance. She turned around to find a nurse, "Tell them that it's going to be at least a few hours until she's out of the OR, let alone lucid, all right? Thanks."

She turned to the patient and followed her being pushed to the prep room before the OR, while reading her charts once more. She read all she had to read and that's when she let herself really look at the patient for the first time.

Her shirt was torn and then cut open by the paramedics and the bruising on her torso was painfully obvious. There was extreme bruising on her neck and chest, her lips were split open and blood smeared around her mouth. Santana was almost certain that her cheekbones were shattered just by looking at them. The patient was unconscious due to the amount of sedatives and pain relievers that had been administered but she still needed to check the patient's eyes to check for brain reactivity.

As Santana got closer to the patient, she had to look down for a second to pull her little flashlight down. When she went to position her hands over the patients brow, the patient suddenly opened her eyes.

She could see how scared the woman was, her blue eyes kept looking around but stopped as she looked right into Santana's eyes. Santana was startled, not only because she was not expecting the woman to have this sort of reactivity from a patient this with this amount of trauma but also because of how beautiful those eyes were. When Santana felt her shirts being pulled at, she looked down to see the woman's hand holding on to her shirt. She looked up again to see the woman moving her lips trying to say something.

As the woman's lip movement became more pronounced, Santana got closer to hear what she was trying to say.

All she could hear was gurgling due to the amount of blood in the woman's mouth.

"P, puh." The woman took a small pause and tried to swallow before speaking again "please." She managed to let out.

Santana felt the hand on her shirt pulling more forcefully. As she heard the woman say 'please' once more, she understood what the woman wanted. As she took the woman's hands into hers, she offered a small smile and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm Santana, I'm a doctor here. Try to stay calm. You're badly injured so you're going to be taken into surgery to help you." Santana tried to speak as slowly and as comforting as she could. The nurses came in to take the woman into the operating room. As they began to roll the patient away, Santana knew she had to let go of the woman's hand. How she reacted earlier and holding the woman's hand was breaking protocol, she knew that. But, right now, she didn't care. Santana didn't want to let go of this woman's hands for any reason.

She looked up at the woman to see her eyes locked on Santana's. All the fear Santana saw in those eyes, made her heart clench and her soul hurt. Santana couldn't handle it. She quickly moved closer to the woman, squeezing her hand back to reassure her. Santana brought her other hand up to the woman's hair to run her fingers through it.

"You're going to be okay. You're going to be all right. You'll make it. I promise you. I swear it." Santana promised as she looked straight into that woman's crystal blue eyes. Even like this, even in this life or death situation, Santana couldn't help but to notice this woman's breath-taking eyes.

"Dr. Lopez." said one of the male nurses, motioning toward the double doors leading into the OR.

Santana glared at him and then looked back down at the woman. "You'll be fine. I'll be there when you wake up. You'll be fine, I promised." Santana leaned down and gave her the most gentle kiss on her forehead. "I promise." She whispered one last time. The woman nodded and loosened her grip. As they rolled her away, Santana kept looking into her eyes, feeling the woman's hand slip out of her own.

She stood there staring at the double doors the woman had gone through until Quinn startled her.

"Dr. Lopez!" Santana shook her head trying to gather herself and then turned around to face Quinn. "May I have a word with you for a second? I need a second opinion on a patient." Santana knew by the tone of Quinn's voice that she was in trouble. Before Santana could acknowledge, Quinn had already been walking away, expecting Santana to follow her.

The second Santana closed the door to the nearest on-call room, Quinn began, "Santana, what the fuck was that? You held that patient's hand, you fucking PROMISED that she would survive and, last but not fucking least, you kissed her!" she finished as she threw her hands in the air. "Santana, this isn't your first year, you damn well know how you fucked up in there. You're lucky that everyone is scared shittless of you because if it were anyone else, they would not have hesitated in the slightest to report to the Chief. Explain. Explain what the hell just happened?" Quinn demanded.

Santana sighed as she sat down, not looking at Quinn. She ran her fingers through her hair as she herself tried to understand what happened. In all of her years practicing medicine, had she done something like that.

"Quinn, I can't explain it. I honestly can't." she said as she shrugged her shoulders in frustration. "I got there and everything was fine. I was with her when she was taken back, I was about to check for abnormal retinal movement when she latched on to my shirt and opened her eyes. Oh, my gosh, her eyes, Quinn. They were, were, I don't know! I, I, there aren't any other words to describe them. She talked to me, she wanted me to hold her hand. So I did. She was so afraid, Quinn. So, so afraid. I didn't want to let go of her hand, I knew it was wrong but I didn't want to let go. I didn't even see you there, I didn't see anyone else there. Son of a bitch, I don't even know her name. And that kiss, I don't know. I really don't know. I've never done that. I've been at this for what? Six, seven years? I've gotten patients in more extreme cases and I've never done that. I don't know why. What I do know is that I'm going to be there when she wakes up. That is not a promise I'm not willing to break. That kiss was a promise, I'm not willing to break." Santana was in tears at the end of her rant, but her voice was determined.

Quinn didn't know what to do or say. She'd had never seen Santana break protocol with a patient and she had never seen Santana cry like this. At a loss for words, she simply sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around her. She let Santana cry into her chest, while rubbing her back trying to soothe her.

Santana abruptly pulled back to look at Quinn. "What's wrong with me? Why is my face crying?" She lifted her hands to her face, wiping off tears. "What is this?" She asked as she held her moist hand in front of Quinn's face, "I'll tell you what this is, this is bullshit. Tears, these are damn tears!"

Okay, this was the Santana that Quinn knew how to deal with.

"Okay, bitch. Big deal you cried, get over it." Quinn said as she rose to her feet and continued before Santana could cut her off. "Look, I've never seen you behave this way, especially at work. I've never seen you cry like this either. I don't know what to tell you except, you're still on duty for the next 30 something hours. You're a fucking doctor, get your shit together and don't let this happen again. Also, _she's _going to be in surgery for at least five hours. So, in exactly four hours, you're going to go down there to make sure everything is going all right and to ask what room number she'll be in for recovery. Then you're going to tell me so I can meet my new sister-in-law." Quinn teased at that last part, hoping to get a reaction from Santana.

But, she was wrong. Santana just sat there with a blank expression on her face, looking at the wall. Her mouth opening and closing as she was trying to find words.

"Santana?" Quinn asked a bit worried. "Santana?" she asked a bit louder.

"Oh. My. Gosh." Santana whispered. "What. If. You're. Right?" Her eyes widen as she continued. "I've never done this before, what do I do?" She stood up and grabbed Quinn's shaking shoulders. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't had spewed all that shit about me making lady babies and getting married, this wouldn't have happened. Damn it, Quinn! WHAT. DO. I DO?" Santana asked, punctuating every word with a shake of Quinn's shoulders.

This was definitely the Santana she knew how to handle.

Before she knew it, Quinn had lifted her hand and slapped her across the face.

She stunned Santana into stopping her nonsense. Santana wiped her face, squared her shoulders, cleared her throat.

"Thank you for that. I'm going to go do rounds." Santana said as she made her way toward the door. But Quinn stopped her before she could reach the door knob.

"Hey, Santana?"

"Yeah?" Santana turned around to face Quinn.

"Pierce, Brittany S." replied Quinn. "That's her name. Brittany S. Pierce."

Santana turned around without responding and walked out.

"Brittany." She said softly as she smiled to herself.

-x-

AN: I'd like to give my Baby Unicorn a shout out for putting up with me while writing this. Thanks, boo boo.


	2. Chapter 2

Time has never moved slower for Santana. Not even when she was staring at a pregnancy test, praying and bartering to whomever she could think of that the test come out negative when she was 16. One pregnancy scare was enough to last her a lifetime. She began to wonder what it would be like to stare at a pregnancy test with hope, love and with the person she loves instead of alone and riddled with fear and anxiety. Love, that is something she knows nothing about. At least non-platonic love. She loved a lot of people, her family, Quinn, her kids, and even Rachel. But, other than that, she had no idea. She sighs as she looks down at her watch. Only an hour left until Brittany's procedure should be close to wrapping up.

As she walks into examination room 12, she sees a brunette with a gauze on her right arm laying on the hospital bed with a man holding her hand. "Hello, I'm Santana Lopez and I'll be your doctor for the evening. Which one of you is Courtney?" She teases as she looks up from the patient's charts and smiles.

"That'd be me." answered the man through a chuckle. "Just kidding, actually I'm Andrew. Courtney is this one over here," he answers as he holds up Courtney's left hand. Great, just what she needed, a happy couple.

"Nice to meet you two, I wish it would've been under better circumstances but it is what it is." she smiled. "We'll let's see, you cut your arm and you potentially need stitches." Santana began as she put on her gloves.

"Yeah, I was trying to clean out the attic when I lost my balance on the step stool and caught my arm on the corner of an old dresser." Courtney explained as Santana looked at the wound.

"Well, you do need stitches. It'll be about seven but I can throw in an extra one for show, if you're a stickler about even numbers. The nurses already cleaned it so it'll only take about ten minutes. Any questions?" Santana asked as she walked to the other side of the room to get everything she needed for sutures.

"Actually, I do. I don't want to sound incredibly vain but will it scar much? In a couple of weeks, Andrew and I are celebrating our tenth anniversary with a party and my dress will be sleeveless. I'd hate to have a scar showing in all the pictures. You know, you always want to look good for your partner, especially on such a big occasion, like a ten-year anniversary." Courtney gushed.

No, she really didn't know. Andrew and Courtney seemed to be around her age and they were already celebrating ten years of marriage. Maybe I really did waste a lot of time, she thought to herself. Who knows? Maybe if she didn't sleep around so much, she too would be celebrating a ten-year anniversary with someone she loved.

"Minimal to no scarring. You're lucky because before I switched my specialty to general medicine, I was in plastics. You're in fantastic hands." She said as she wiggled her fingers as she showed them off.

She has no idea what motivated her to ask but as soon as she began her first suture, she said "Ten years, huh? How'd you two meet?"

After she finished all seven stitches and heard their love story, she wished them good luck with the next couple anniversaries. She looked down at her watch, only a little bit more before she can see Brittany. Wait, she thought, what am I supposed to say to her? But before she could finish that thought, the paramedics burst through the doors. Time to get to it.

Two hours later, Santana was standing in the shower, letting the hot water run down her body. After this shower, she'd be able to hopefully see Brittany. She was torn between rushing this shower or dragging it out as long as possible in an attempt to procrastinate. She had no idea what she would say to Brittany.

"Hey, I don't know if you remember me but I promised you I'd be here when you woke up, so here I am. And, even though you were horribly mangled when we first 'met,' I'd like to get to know you. But I'm not really sure how I want to get to know, I mean, I do but I don't know how to do that because I've never, ever, done that. But, hi. And, I'm sure you have better things to do with your time, like recuperate, instead of talking to me but, hi anyway, again." she said out loud to hear it would sound.

No, that doesn't sound right to her. Just a bit awkward.

She finished getting ready and made her way to the surgical center. She spotted a familiar face among all the nurses and doctors.

"Hi, Katie. How are you? What's the status on Brittany S. Pierce?" She asked as she leaned her elbows on the desk.

"Hey, Santana. Give me a second to look it up." Katie said as she turned her attention to the computer screen. "How've you been? It's been awhile since you've called me. You doing all right?" Katies asked curtly.

"I'm doing all right, I've just been busy, sorry." Santana awkwardly answered, hoping to avoid confrontation.

" 'Busy'? That's never stopped you before. Could your 'busy' have anything to do with Elaine or that other slut from HR?" Katie bitterly snapped.

"Look, Katie," Santana leaned forward "whatever or whomever I decide to do is my own damn business, not yours. You and I never had anything other than casual sex, I never gave you the impression that it was anything other than that. So, if you could please get the fuck over it, do your job, and tell me what is going on with Brittany Pierce, that'd be fantastic. Thank you. Much appreciated." Santana facetiously finished.

Katie tried to look unfazed but failed. "Moved out of post-op about 20 minutes ago. Room 3487." Katie shakily answered and left.

Santana walked toward the elevator and hit the up button. She pulled out her phone to text Quinn.

_Fabray! She's in room 3487. I'm going there now. Cover for me, if need be. Thanks._

_Wait, should I bring something? Like flowers or balloons? I can't show up empty-handed, isn't that bad manners? _

_Shit, what if she doesn't remember me? What if her family is there? What if her boyfriend is there? What do I do?What if I'm getting worked up over nothing._

_Fuck you, Quinn. Why aren't you answering? This is all your fault. Fuck you. I'm telling Rachel you give the kids bacon when she's working._

"Santana?" Her texting rant was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Are you all right? You look like shit and the elevator is here."

"Gee, Elaine. Just because you stopped putting out doesn't mean you can be an asshole." She said as she stepped around Elaine but was stopped by a hand grabbing her elbow.

"Santana, wait." Elaine called out to her. "I'm sorry. It's just, I mean, just because you ended whatever we had a couple of hours ago doesn't mean that I'll stop caring about you or that I didn't care about you." she said as she let go of Santana's arm.

Jesus Christ, I just went through this a seconds ago, Santana spoke internally. She really didn't want to get into this in the middle of the hallway so she tried a different approach. So she put her phone away and stepped closer to Elaine.

"Elaine, you're great in bed, have a monster rack, and you're hilarious. But other than that, I don't know anything about you. I don't care about anything else because I just wanted to fuck you." She said apologetically as Elaine contorted her face in what Santana took as anger. "You deserve someone who wants to take the time to learn everything else about you, and I'm sorry, so sorry, but that someone just isn't me. It's never been me." Santana grabbed Elaine's hands. "This is total cliché but you will find someone who wants to stay the entire night and not leave the second you fall asleep. And, you know, you'll get married and adopt some cats and shit or whatever you want." She saw as Elaine's face softened. "I was serious about being friends though. I wouldn't mind that." she finished but noticed Elaine tearing up. She gently wiped away those tears. " You'll be fine. And when you meet that someone, I gotta meet them, all right?" Santana smiled as she tried ridding the heavy atmosphere.

Elaine laughed a little. "Anything, you say, Santana. Call me for those drinks. Oh, and you're buying."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." Santana playfully answered. That went better than she thought.

"Turning over a new leaf. I see." she heard behind her.

"Son of a bitch, Quinn. You scared the shit out of me!" Santana yelled as she punched Quinn's arm. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, when one's best friend is blowing up one's phone because she's nervous about talking to a random girl, one gets a little bit worried." Quinn said as she pushed the up button again. "And since I'm such a great friend, I called in a couple of favors so I can hold your hand through this whole process." Quinn said in a baby voice and pinched Santana's cheek.

"Fuck you. Wait, you can't hold my hand. Don't do that. What if she gets the wrong idea?" Santana said with a panicked tone as she got into the elevator and hit the three.

"What idea would that be?"

"You know, that, you and I" she motioned between them "Don't make me say it, asshole." she rushed out.

"Santana, for such a great doctor, you're an idiot. I wasn't going to literally hold your hand." Quinn explained as they both stepped out of the elevator.

"Oh, okay." They began walking when Santana stopped. "Quinn?" She timidly said. Quinn stopped and looked at her expectantly. "I've been thinking about relationships and meeting girls and ten-year anniversaries and pregnancy tests and I don't know why I'm thinking about this because last night, I had the a perfect life and now I'm thinking that it's empty. How do I fix it? How do I fill it, I guess?" Santana timidly asked.

"Stop throwing your cat around and ask someone out on a date and take it from there. That's all you can do." Quinn offered, surprised that Santana would have a "mid-life"crisis in the middle of the hallway on a random Tuesday. Quinn heard Santana mumble something but couldn't make it out. So Quinn asked her to say it again.

"I've never been on a date." She mumbled louder.

"Um, no. Of course you have. You go out with girls all the time. What the hell are you talking about?"

"No, I have sex with girls all the time. But I've never picked anyone up or had anyone pick me up or kissed someone good night or whatever." she explained.

"Oh, well, let's cross that bridge when we get to it. And, you're getting ahead of yourself. Like waaayyy ahead of yourself. And, not to mention, you're being presumptuous in assuming you actually have a chance with this woman. We don't know anything about this girl so, you know, we'll see." Quinn began walking but suddenly stopped. "Wait, Wait. I know I'm fucking up big time by encouraging this but you are aware that interacting like this with a patient, could have serious repercussions, right? I mean, you could lose your job due to inappropriate conduct over this girl." Quinn seriously tried to remind her friend of the consequences.

"But, that's just it. It's just THIS girl. I can't think about anything else. That has to count for something, right? I mean, shit, I'm not even the physician assigned to her. I was just there, all hands on deck, and everything happened and I haven't the slightest idea as to what I need to be doing." She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. "I think I want to take her out to dinner or something but I don't know why. We haven't even met. We haven't even talked! The only time I've seen her, her face was horribly bruised and bloodied! Why couldn't I feel this way about Elaine or Katie or Veronica from HR or that one girl who does our insurance on the tenth floor, what was her name?" She paused to think but came up with nothing. "I know for a fact they were into me, why couldn't I feel the same way about them? It's safe with them. I wouldn't potentially lose my job or my sanity." She desperately tried to get some answers from Quinn.

"Santana, there's no right way to answer that. Either you feel something or you don't. You can't force it. Especially with all the girls you go through. And, you're right, you're not her doctor but you know rules are rules. So, before anything drastic happens, just think about it. But, you and I still have to go talk to some blue-eyed beauty, don't we?"

"Yeah, we do." Santana responded with a smile.

Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the door belonging to room 3487. This was it. There was only one door separating her from Brittany.

"Quinn. Quinn." Santana said as she tugged on Quinn's shirt much like a child. If anyone else saw, they'd find it incredibly hard to believe that she was a doctor. "I'm nervous. I'm going to throw up. Please don't let me throw up on her. I, I, I, I have no reason to be nervous, she probably doesn't even remember me, you know." She rushed out with nerves.

"Santana, shut up and open the damn door. I'll be out here waiting." Quinned demanded and pushed her toward the door.

This is it. 'It'? She had no idea.

Santana opened the door and there she was, watching the news on the TV.

"Hey! It's you. I was wondering when I'd see you again." Brittany turned around and said with a loopy smile on her face.

Yup, 'it' is right.

"Yeah," Santana said as her voice broke a little because she was nervous. "It's me. I would've been up here sooner but, you know, work got in the way." she said apologetically.

"No biggie. I asked about you but no one knew where you were." Brittany said, surprisingly cheerfully.

"Really? Because I've had my pager on me the whole time." Santana responded as she looked down to see if her pager was working.

"Well, I guess 'sexy doctor' isn't really something people can look up, can they?" Santana blushes at Brittany's words. "I really wanted to thank you for earlier. I know I'm high as a kite right now but no one has ever made me feel so safe. And especially with what happened, I really needed that. Thank you." Her words were slightly slurred, her eyes were droopy, and her face was bandaged but she still managed to be most beautiful woman Santana has ever seen. "Santana? Are you okay? Did you break?"

"Um, no. You don't have to thank me but I appreciate it. You're welcome." She humbly said. "How are you feeling?" She asked as she went over to grab Brittany's chart. "May I?" she pointed to the chart.

"Go for it. I'm all right. My head feels like it's about to burst, like, pressure wise but other than that, I cannot feel a damn thing. This,"Brittany lifts her arm with the IV in it, "is the best shit I've ever had. I went horseback riding with Oprah on the beach, we talked shit about Tom Cruise. It was aaamazing." she chuckled.

Santana laughed at how adorable Brittany was and then began to read her chart. Her eyes widen in shock.

"Holy shit, Brittany! You have four broken ribs, you had your spleen removed, and you have a punctured lung! How are you awake right now? Aren't you tired? What's your level of pain on a scale from 1 to 10, ten being the worse?" Santana was in complete shock. Someone with this much trauma should really be knocked out, definitely not awake and talking about Oprah.

"Whoa, calm down, San. I'm fine. As long as they keep pumping my veins or arteries or whatever the hell they're called, with this magical juice, I'll be fine. Actually, apart from my headache, I've never felt better. Usually my feet and muscles ache from work but now? Now, I can't feel anything." Brittany enthusiastically said with huge smile on her face. "How long are you staying? I mean, if you're going to stay. I've been lonely. And I don't like being alone." Her smile turned into a pout.

"Of course, I'll stay. I just have to tell my friend that's waiting for me outside that I'm staying. I'll be right back."

Santana walked out to find Quinn looking down on her phone. She grabbed Quinn's arm and yanked her aside. "Quinn!" She whispered yelled conscious of the fact they were in a hospital.

"what, what, what?" Quinn said annoyed, as she snatched her arm back.

"She's perfect! Like, holy shit, she had a splenectomy, traumatic pneumothorax, and four broken ribs! Yet, she's smiling like nothing happened! Her beautiful, beautiful, beautiful smile! And she remembered me! She said she asked for me, well, she asked for 'sexy doctor' but still me. Holy fuck! That's like a sign, right? Like it's meant to be, right, right? Like it's worth it?" She exclaimed as she looked at Quinn for confirmation as she furiously nodded her head.

Quinn was speechless. Dr. Santana Diabla Lopez gushing like a thirteen year old girl over someone she just met about nine hours ago.

"Um, okay."

"Yes, I fucking knew it. So, I'm going to take the rest of the day off. Pleeeaseeee cover for me? It's a fucking Tuesday, nothing happens on Tuesdays. So, it'll be easy to find someone to replace me. Please, Please, Please? I'll baby sit your kids whenever so you and Rachel can have a night off. And I'll pay for all of your tune-ups and oil changes for the next year, I found a really good place." she begged.

What Santana doesn't know is that Quinn would have done it without the babysitting or tune-ups or that she already found someone to cover her just in case.

"Deal." She said as she walked away. "Let me know how it goes."

Santana did her little happy dance before she walked in again.

"Hey, I thought you forgot about me." Brittany said with yet another pout.

"No, I didn't. I was just talking to my friend outside for a second." Santana sat down in a chair next to Brittany's bed. "You don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"No! Not at all!" Brittany's immediately said. "Why didn't you invite your friend in? Is she not supposed to be here?"

"Uh, no. My friend, my best friend, actually is also a doctor here but I asked her to cover for me so I can stay here with you."

"Oh, I'm so so sorry, I wouldn't have asked if you were going to stay if I had known you were working. San, go back to work."

Santana shot up, afraid she had over stayed her welcome. "I'll go, I thought you wanted me to stay here. But, I'll go." Santana cleared her throat. "Ugh, of course you wouldn't want me to stay here. Your family will probably be here any second now and you wouldn't want a random doctor interrupting. Um, bye. It was nice officially meeting you." she hurriedly said, gave a small wave, and began to walk out trying to salvage what was left of her pride.

"Wait! No, that's not what I meant. Come back. I just didn't want you to get in trouble over me. Please come back." Santana nervously walked back and sat back down.

"Okay. I'll stay." She said as she looked down and saw Brittany shyly holding up her hand. Santana cautiously took it. Her breath caught at the feel of Brittany's hand in hers again.

"Thank you. Not just thank you for staying but thank you for earlier. I've never been so scared in my life." Brittany softly said as she squeezed Santana's hand.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't worry about it. I'm here. I'm here and I won't go anywhere until you want me to go. When your family gets here, I'll leave but then I'll come back. I work here, it's not like they can't kick me out." She joked.

"You won't have to leave. My parents are sailing around the world or something and my sister is eight months pregnant and she lives in Spain. And, I just moved here a couple of weeks ago so I don't really know anyone here." she said a bit embarrassed that she seemed so alone.

"Well, you know me now. And not to toot my own horn but I think I'm pretty awesome." Santana warmly smiled at Brittany.

"Yeah, you are."

"Wait, Brittany. What are you going to do after you get discharged?" Santana asked as she tensed a little.

"What do you mean? I'm going to go home and get someone to teach my classes." Brittany stated as if it were blatantly obvious.

"No, I mean, you'll be here for a while but when you get cleared to go, you'll still be on bed rest. You had major surgery and it's quite miraculous that you're up right but you still are going to need to someone to help you. You can't be alone." Santana explained as she scooted closer to Brittany.

"Oh, well. Like I said, my parents are probably somewhere on the Pacific ocean now and my sister is eight months pregnant. Even if I were to call her and ask her to come, she can't travel. All of my other friends are in Chicago and I kinda' left under awkward circumstances. It's kinda' the reason why I'm here." Brittany's voice dying out at the end.

"Wait, your friends did this to you?" Santana was outraged. How could anyone do this to Brittany? She noticed how Brittany looked away in embarrassment so she dropped the subject. For now. What was Brittany going to do?

Before she knew what she was doing, "Stay with me." she blurted out.

"What?" Brittany said with a head tilt.

"Yeah, you need someone to help you while you recover and who better than a doctor?" Santana said with false bravado but looked away from Brittany. _What the hell am I doing!? I must seem like a fucking nut job inviting her to stay with me. Damn it, Santana._ "I have a couple spare bedrooms and it's all one floor so it'll be easy to maneuver through and I have a chihuahua so he'll keep you company and I have better cable than this place."

"Okay."

"And, I have an intercom system hooked up all over the house, the bathrooms are big enough so you won't have any trouble and I have a balcony so you can sit and relax and I -"

"Santana!" Brittany interrupted Santana's rant.

"Yeah?" Santana answered as she looked into Brittany's eyes.

"I said 'okay' but only if you're super sure. I don't want to be an inconvenience."

"You could never be an inconvenience." Santana gently said, trying to find a sign of regret or fear in Brittany's eyes. She couldn't. Santana couldn't formulate a single thought the way Brittany was looking at her.

They were looking into each others eyes but were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Brittany whispered, "Who could it be? No one would know I'm here."

"Don't worry, I'll see who it is."

Santana opened the door to see an attractive woman with a blue button down, and black slacks complete with a badge on the belt. Petite yet busty, tan, auburn hair, and green eyes. The same green eyes that raked over Santana's body. The woman stepped closer to her, closer than Santana was comfortable with.

"Hello, I'm Detective Nichole Grayson. I'm here to see a Miss Brittany Pierce to ask her yesterday's events. Is she awake?" The detective asked as she held out her hand for Santana to shake.

"Yes, she is but she only recently regained consciousness. Therefore, I'm not sure she'll be lucid enough to answer any questions." The doctor answered as she shook her hand.

"Please," Nichole said as she waited for Santana to introduce herself.

"Dr. Lopez." Santana offered.

"Please, Dr. Lopez." Detective Grayson repeated with a sly smile. "We are aware of the circumstances. All we need is confirmation. It'll take all but two seconds."

"All right, give me a second to make sure she's up to it. Please wait here, detective."

Santana walked in and stood next to Brittany's bed as she tentatively began "Brittany, there's a detective outside and she'd like to ask you a couple of questions. Are you feeling up for that? You can say no, don't feel pressured to agree. I can send her away."

"No, I'll do it. If, if, you stay with me. Are you okay with that?" Brittany timidly asked.

Santana's heart went out to her. She couldn't believe this was happening to Brittany. Even after their brief interactions, she could tell Brittany was one of the kindest people she'd ever met.

"Of course, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. If at anytime you feel uncomfortable, tell me and I'll escort her out of here. Okay?"

"Thank you." Brittany said as she nodded. Santana slowly leaned in closing her eyes to give Brittany a kiss on her temple. After she opened her eyes, she froze. She realized what she had done and jumped away from Brittany. "Uh, uh. I'll go, I'll be back" she stammered as she ran away.

"Wait, Santana, no. Don't -" the blonde tried to get her to come back.

But Santana left the room before she could hear the rest of her pleas. What was she thinking? That's the problem, she wasn't thinking. She wasn't thinking at all. Maybe she wasn't the one lucid enough. Santana could feel her heart pounding in her chest and her breathing pick up. This wasn't her. She didn't want to feel like this anymore.

"Dr. Lopez?" Detective. Grayson asked, as she ran her hand up and down Santana's arm. "Are you all right?"

"Miss Pierce is fine. But she did request to have me present." The doctor said, completely ignoring the detective's question.

"That's fine."

Santana opened the door and let the detective through before walking in behind her. She kept her eyes set on the floor, hoping this would be over soon.

"Hello, Miss Pierce. I am Detective Nichole Grayson and I just need you to confirm a couple of things, is that all right with you?" the detective asked as she pulled out a small notepad and pen from her pocket.

Brittany tried catching Santana's eyes but failed. She nodded.

"Last night, you left your dance studio on the corner of 54th Street and 33rd Avenue at approximately 11:00 pm. Is that correct?"

"Yes." she meekly responded.

"And between locking the door and walking to your car, your ex-boyfriend, a Samuel Evans, confronted you?"

"Yes. That is correct."

"The confrontation escalated between you two and that's where he began to physically assault you?"

Brittany could not answer. She meekly nodded.

Santana's blood boiled. Her ex-boyfriend did this to her? This is ridiculous. She took an oath but she'd break that in a heart beat if she ever ran into this asshole. Wait, 'boyfriend'? Oh, gosh. She's straight. She's been acting like a love-sick school girl over a straight woman. She made a fool out of herself and then invited Brittany to stay with her. Of course Brittany accepted, she was obviously too kind to say 'no.' This wouldn't have happened yesterday, before meeting Brittany. She would've been fine but no.

"And what do you remember after that?" Brittany didn't respond. "Miss Pierce?"

"Santana." Santana's head shot up to look at Brittany. "I remember being on the ground and then I remember being here in the hospital while Santana talked to me before I went away to surgery."

"All right, I don't mean to alarm you but the authorities are not aware of Evans' whereabouts. So -"

"What?!" Santana interrupted. "You don't know where the man responsible for Miss Pierce's assault is yet no security measures have been taken to prevent any possible future attacks? Why isn't there a police officer stationed in front of that door?" Santana demanded.

"Dr. Lopez, calm down. Evans has no history of violence so it is considered a solitary attack. She is out of danger."

Santana glanced over to Brittany and saw fear in her eyes once again. What the hell did I get myself into, Santana thought.

"She's done her. Her blood pressure has risen. Come with me." She demanded of the detective. Santana walked over to the closest on-call room. She stood face to face with the detective. "How dare you say that she isn't in any danger. She is obviously the victim of an assault and the person responsible is nowhere to be found and you have the gall to waltz in here and waste her time with asinine questions." She seethed out.

But before she knew it, Nichole's lips were on hers. And she wasn't stopping it. It didn't take long before she began to kiss back. She needed this. She needed to feel like herself again. She needed to forget everything that's happened today.

She broke away from the kiss and began to suck on the detective's neck as her hands began to untuck her shirt from her pants. She could feel the detective's hand slip under her shirt and cup her breast.

"Just fuck me already." The detective breathed out.

Without hesitation, Santana slipped two fingers into the detective and began to pump in and out her at a furious pace.

"That's it. Harder, Santana." she moaned as she pulled on Santana's hair urging her on. Santana tried to lose herself in the moans Nichole was letting out but she couldn't stop thinking about the blonde she left in that room. The more she thought of her, the harder and faster she pumped in and out of Nichole. Before she knew it, she felt Nichole tighten around her fingers as she came.

Nichole tried to capture Santana's lips in a kiss but couldn't so she bent down to kiss her neck. Just as she was about to reach Santana's collar bone, Santana backed away.

"Don't." she said as she softly pushed Nichole back. "This was a mistake." She fixed her scrubs before she began to walk away. Before opening the door and leaving a stunned detective in the middle of the room, she looked over her shoulder and spoke, "I expect to see a uniformed police officer posted outside Brittany's room within the hour."

As she began to walk back to Brittany's room to tell her that there will be a police officer guarding her, she wondered if it was the best idea considering what happened earlier. But those doubts were quickly pushed away when she saw Brittany limping out of her room, while leaning on her IV pole. Santana rushed over to her.

"Brittany, what are you doing? You shouldn't be out of bed right now." she gently chided. "Come on, let's get you back. Jesus Christ, how'd they let you walk out? What happened? Did you need something? Are you in pain? Where? How does your chest feel? Is it tight?" Santana shot off her questions and by the time she finished asking, Brittany was back in bed.

"No, I'm fine. Well, now my ribs hurt like a bitch but I was all right before." She looked down.

"Then what happened? Why'd you get out of bed?" Santana asked again, getting her stethoscope from around her neck to check Brittany's breathing.

"Nothing. Nothing. It's stupid, I just wondered where you were." Brittany answered as she shook her head. "And, after the cop told me they didn't know where Sam was, I got scared. I just didn't want to be alone, I needed you. I don't have anyone else here, Santana." she said as tears began to run down her face.

"No, don't cry. Don't cry. Your ribs will hurt and your lung can't take that either." Santana said as she took a hold of Brittany's hand again. "I'm here now and I have good news."

"What?" the blonde sniffled.

"Detective Grayson said she would post someone outside to make sure your safe and that your ex won't come in here."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Thank you, Santana. I'd hug you know but I'm starting to feel like a damn elephant sat on my chest again. You've done more for me in the last couple of hours than any friend I've ever had."

"No problem. I'll get a nurse to come administer more meds." the doctor said as she squeezed Brittany's hand before getting up.

"Wait, why can't you do it? You're a doctor, aren't you?" Brittany asked confused.

"Yes, I am. But I'm not your doctor. The nurse has to adhere to a medicinal regiment set by your doctor." She walked towards the door, "I'll be right back." she said as she walked out.

"Thanks, Sanny."

-x-

You're welcome, boo boo.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting a nurse to go check on Brittany was simple. Santana was half expecting to have another nurse, doctor, or PCA to jump down her throat about hitting and quitting, but luckily that wasn't an issue. She wasn't feeling as anxious as before. Fucking that detective helped with her anxiety but now she was feeling something else. Something she couldn't figure it out but she had more important things to do anyway. Such as, figuring out what she was going to do with Brittany. Was she really willing to let Brittany stay in her home while she recuperates or should she rescind that invitation? But what if she takes it back and then Brittany feels like she's too much of a hassle? She didn't want Brittany to feel like an inconvenience.

If anything, Santana didn't want to make Brittany feel uncomfortable. The way she was fawning over Brittany she was bound to make Brittany feel at unease. Santana just wanted Brittany to be happy but the way things were playing out right now, she didn't know how to make that happen.

She waited for the nurse that was assigned to Brittany so she could walk together back to Brittany's room.

"Hello, Brittany. Dr. Lopez tells me that you're feeling some discomfort and would like more medication?" Isabella, the nurse asks Brittany as she'll rolling in her cart.

"If you can manage to swing that, that'd be amazing. I forgot to ask Oprah a question, so, you know." Brittany tried to shrug her shoulders but grimaced in pain. This didn't go unnoticed by Santana but there wasn't anything else she could do.

"Oh, wow, there's already a doctor here. Are you sure you need me?" Santana heard behind her. It was her friend and fellow doctor Dr. Tina Cohen Chang.

"Don't mind me, Dr. Cohen Chang, I'm just a friend of Miss Pierce. Just trying to keep her company." Santana explained to Tina, while winking at Brittany. Of course she and Brittany weren't friends yet – or rather they had the potential to be friends or maybe it was wishful thinking, on her behalf – but that was easier to say.

"Yeah, the more the merrier, doc. Especially if you can hook a sister up." Brittany joked as she tried lifting her arm.

"Well, let's see." Dr. Cohen Chang checked the monitor for her blood pressure and saturation levels. "I'm honestly a bit surprised to see you so upbeat after this type of injury. I'm worried that you'll be too active and might delay your recovery. So, please try to avoid any unnecessary or excessive movement. For the next couple of days, I need you to be as sedentary as possible so you can heal as quickly as possible so we can began your therapy.

"Wait, so how long do I have to stay here?"

"I'd say five to seven more days and then you should be clear to go home. Any more questions?" Dr. Cohen Chang asked as she looked up from Brittany's charts.

"No, I'm fine. If I did have anymore questions, I'm sure Doctor Santana wouldn't mind answering." Brittany turns to Santana, "Right, San?"

"Sure, of course." Santana inwardly smiled at hearing Brittany's nickname for her.

"See, I'm all good. All good in the hood." Brittany's droopy eyes and dopey smile were back; the drugs were kicking in.

The drugs were administered so Isabella and Dr. Cohen Chang left.

"San! C'mere, c'mere!" Brittany said as she held out her hand for Santana to take.

And, of course, Santana took it. Gladly.

"So, Sanny, I think I might fall asleep aaaany second now but since you so graciously – by the way, my sexy doctor, I will dearly compensate you for your services, you choose how," Brittany salaciously winked. "so don't think I'll be taking advantage of you and your home. Anyway, since you decided that I should kick it with you for a while, I think you should tell me about yourself. And you can aaaask me aaanything you want. So, go. What can you tell me about yourself?"

After Santana started breathing again after Brittany winked, she began to talk, "Well, I don't really know what to say. I'm a doctor, you know that. And my best friends' have four kids. So when I'm not here or with a, with a, um, friend, I'm with those little rascals. They're the only family, well basically friends, that I have here, "she scratched her neck as she tried to think of what else to say. "My other family is back in Ohio, where I'm from. But not cool Ohio, like bumfuck Ohio." she didn't really have anything else to say. She's never been asked to talk about herself, or well, she never really cared enough to answer. Now that she's actually attempting to do it, she can't. "Oh! I have a dog. I think I told you that though. He's tiny but loud. But cute loud not scary loud. He's name Tequila." She proudly spoke of her dog.

"Sanny, you're so silly. That's not who you are. It's what you do and what you have but, what I would really like to know is who Santana," she squints trying to read Santana's identification badge, "Lopez is." The blonde's words were getting even more slurred indictating that she was getting closer to falling asleep but it didn't make her question any less intimidating for Santana.

"Um, well, why don't you ask me something and I'll answer it? Because I have no idea how to answer that Brittany." she honestly admitted.

"Hmmm, okay. Give me a second." Brittany's ponders as she holds her chin between her thumb and index finger. "If you could be any car in the whole world, what would it be?

"Easy. I would definitely be an Aston Martin. I'm classy and every body wants to ride me." She answered with a pleased look on her face which was suddenly replaced with a worried look. That answer was the opposite of classy.

"Interesting." Brittany said after a few moments of silence. The pain killers were really about to knock her out any second. "Favorite food?"

"Pizza."

"Some much for classy... Favorite drink?" Brittany shot back.

"Alcoholic or non?"

"Both."

"Wine, preferably red. Coffee for non-alcoholic."

"Team Edward or Team Jacob?"

"Team Alice."

"Good answer. Favorite sex position?"

"Scis- wait, what?" Santana wasn't really sure if she heard Brittany correctly.

"Nothing, never mind." Brittany shook her head and quickly said. "What is your biggest regret?"

Pouring glue down Danny Sosa's pants in the first grade which made him have an asthma attack and landed him in the hospital? That wasn't her fault, she didn't know what asthma was. Pushing her big brother down the stairs which made him lose two of his front teeth? Now he has a beautiful smile. Totaling her father's Mercedes when she was 17? Sleeping with Rachel's giant boyfriend? It was horrible but it made Rachel realize she was gay for Fabray; that turned out all right. Playing all those girls? Most recently Elaine and that cop... Especially that cop. She treated her like she was nothing, just fucked her and left. Is that what she's been doing for all these years? Using women like that?

She lifted her head to tell Brittany but realized that Brittany had already knocked out. Her mouth was slightly opened with the tiniest stream of drool leaking out the corner. In a word: adorable.

Santana needed to use this time to check up on Quinn and ask for her first extended vacation in four years. As she opened the door, she noticed the police officer in front. An appreciative smile swept across her face as she realized that Nichole came through, despite what transpired between them. She really should apologize or attempt to apologize to her for just leaving her like that.

"Excuse me, Officer Puckerman, do you happen to know if Detective Grayson is still around?" Santana asked the cop, after reading his name plate on his chest.

He just looked at her chest and smirked.

"Oh, yeah, right." he cleared his throat, "she actually just left me here. You might actually be able to catch her at the elevators." He answered as he pointed toward the elevators then hooking his thumbs on his belt.

"Shit. Thanks." she turned to walk away but quickly returned to stare the officer down. "Anything happens to the woman in there, I'll make your death look like an accident. I am not fucking with you. I may be a doctor but my family comes from Lima Heights; I'm sure you know what happens in Lima Heights. Don't try me." she lowered her voice to sound even more menacing. "I'm not threatening an officer of the law. A police officer would protect that woman. I'm threatening you as a man. A man that is capable of mistakes. If your mistake causes her any damage, physical or emotional, you as a man will pay. Got it?"

The officer looked down and nodded.

"Good. I'll see you soon." Santana ran to the elevators and was just able to make it inside. Slightly out of breath, she turned around to see Detective Grayson, who was staring daggers into Santana.

Santana caught her breath before speaking. "I'm sorry." She simply said.

Detective Grayson, put the phone she had in her hand into her pocket and crossed her arms. "Sorry for what exactly? Undermining my authority, telling me how to do my job or fucking me like a dirty, used whore and then leaving me?" Detective Grayson calmly replied.

"For having sex with you, I'll apologize for that but I will not apologize about requesting a cop to stand guard in front of Brittany's door. That is your job. If you chose to not do it, that's on you. But, like I said, I'm sorry for using you like a sexual object. My head's all fucked up, I needed a release, and you gave me that. You're an attractive woman and I, I just needed that. I'm sorry if I was disrespectful." Detective Grayson didn't respond. "Look, I've never apologized for fucking anyone before. I don't know what else to say so take it or leave it, up to you. I've said all I can say."

"It's Brittany, isn't it?" Nichole asked.

"What?" she let out as she burrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"She's the one that's got your head all fucked up, isn't she?"

There was no point in lying so she sighed and nodded. "Is it that obvious?"

"Let's put it this way, I'm a cop. I'm trained to notice the insignificant details so they become significant. But, with you two, that rookie I put in front of her door could see it. No hard feelings?" Nichole said as she held out her hand.

"We just had sex in the on-call room and you want to shake my hand? Wow, cops really know their shit." Santana pushed Nichole's hand away and pulled her into a brief hug. She really is turning over a new leaf. "Wait, we haven't been moving." Santana observed as she pulled away from the detective.

"Yeah, you walked in before I pushed the button. Then I was a bit distracted." Nichole joked as she leaned and pushed a number. "Floor?"

"Um, yeah, that's fine. Same floor. " Then she had a thought. "Hey?"

"What? You have some speeding tickets you need to take care of?" Nichole laughed.

"Be my friend."

"What? What the hell?" Nichole asked with a confused look on her face.

"Shit. Okay. I have a total of five friends. And I mostly met them in high school, and I slept with one of them and another one's boyfriend." She saw the look on the detective's face, "Wait, don't worry, they got married and have four kids now. But, I'm, you know, getting older and I feel like I need friends. Quinn, my best friend says I need them. Like actual friends. I'm not really sure what friends do nowadays, except not sleep with each other, and now that I've already done that, that's like a good thing, right? Like, we can do that friendly shit?" She finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Um, all right. I guess." Nichole hesitatingly accepted.

"Sorry, this is only my second time doing this. Well, kinda'. I guess I told Elaine we should be friends today but it was after I told her that I don't want to move in with her. She said 'all right' but I'm not sure how serious she was. So, you know what? Congrats! You're the first friend I've made in about ten years!" Santana said as she smiled at Nichole and pat her on the back as the elevator doors opened.

"Yeah, we're here. And I should get going but I'll have to come back to talk to Brittany again. I'm assuming you'll be there?"

Santana shyly smiled and nodded.

"All right, good. I'll see you then. And, my first piece of friendly advice: you should figure out if you need to tell Brittany about what happened with us."

"What? Why would I tell her? We just met. Like, last night." She obliviously answered.

"You just met her last night and you're already looking at her like that?"

"Um, like what?"

"Santana." she said sternly.

"Ugh, fine. Yeah, that's exactly why my head was fucked up. I'm looking at a straight woman like _that_. The first woman I ever look at like that happens to be straight. Wouldn't you be off if your first potential lady love were not only straight, but in the hospital thus making her even more unobtainable?"

"I can't say that I would be. But, I'm sure you'll be fine. You can totally add her to your list of friends, by the way. I really have to go. I'll see you later, friend."

Santana felt all right, she made a new friend. Granted, she had slept with her and then awkwardly asked her to be friends. But, still. And her new friend thinks Brittany's also her friend. Which was great. She would rather Brittany's friend than nothing at all. With the ways things are going, friendship was the only option.

She sought out Quinn to check up on her. She spotted Quinn walking past the triage desk.

"Fabray!" She called out after as she caught up to her. "How are you? Has it been busy?" The brunette asked her friend as she began to walk next to her.

She let out an annoyed growl, "If busy you mean pulling M&M's out of a dirty teenaged boy's nose while his dirty teenaged friends took pictures of it for Instagram, then yes. Extremely busy. How about you? How's your blonde doing?" She asked as she wiggled her eyebrows.

"She's done more for me than anyone else I've met." Santana simply said and saw Quinn arch her eyebrow. "No offense."

"Bitch. What do you mean?" She asked before having a realization. "Jesus Christ, Santana! She just had surgery and you already had sex with her?!" What is wrong with you?" She scolded Santana.

"No, I didn't have sex with her. I had sex with the cop." Santana replied nonchalantly.

"Cop? What cop? Come on, you caught me on the way to the cafeteria. I'm starving. I was a second away from eating the M&M's I pulled out that kid's nose." Quinn groaned as she rubbed her temples.

"Eww, Fabray. That's disgusting." Santana whined as she scrunched her face in disgust.

"Says the slut that just fucked a random, potentially dirty, cop." she shot back.

"Hey, she was too pretty to be dirty." Santana jokingly defended Nichole, her _new_ friend.

Quinn stopped and looked at her.

"I'm being facetious. I'm a damn doctor, I am well aware of the nonsense I just spewed. Anyway, she's cool and I asked her to be my friend and she accepted." she explained enthusiastically. She kinda' liked being enthusiastic recently.

"You asked her to be your friend? What are you, in the second grade?" Quinn asked as they pushed through the cafeteria's doors.

"Cut me some slack, asshole. I thought you'd be happy for me. I made a friend. Like an actual friend whom I won't sleep with. You should be proud of me. You know my people skills aren't 'normal' by these so-called 'social standards'." she said throwing up her air quotes as she stood next to Quinn in line.

"Yeah, but you still slept with her. So that doesn't really count. And you still didn't tell me about this cop. Where'd you find her?"

"Sleeping with her is just a minor detail. She's a detective actually. She came to ask Brittany some questions."

"You didn't?" The blonde asked incredulously and paid the cashier for her food and a magazine.

"I didn't what?"

"You slept with her detective while she was supposed to be questioning her?"

"No, she was already done. And it got her to post security in front of Brittany's door. So, win win. She got lady sex and I got Brittany safe. I was being a good Samaritan." They found an empty table and sat down. Quinn began to eat her apple and Santana put her feet up on the chair opposite her.

"No, you were being a whore. Anyway, aren't you supposed to be trying to wife Brittany up?" Quinn asked between bites.

"Brittany's straight. And she's staying with me after she gets discharged." She answered while picking her nails.

Quinn put her apple down. "She's what?"

"She's staying with me. She doesn't have any family or friends here and her ex-boyfriend – oh, hence the 'straight' – put her in the hospital so, I asked her to stay with me."

Quinn didn't say anything. She just rolled up her magazine and began to hit Santana with it.

"Santana. What. is. Wrong. With. You." Santana caught completely off guard only ducked, holding her hands up while Quinn hit her.

"Stop, stop it. You're causing a scene!" She yelled trying to dodge the magazine.

"Yesterday, I was trying to get you to stop fucking every girl that threw her panties at you and today you're letting a woman you've known for a total of twelve hours move into your house? Holy shit, I didn't think I needed to give you a play-by-play of all the steps in between. You're nothing if not a stereotype, aren't you? When is the U-haul coming?" Quinn whispered screamed at Santana and added one last hit with the rolled up magazine.

"Oh, bitch. You almost gave my eye a damn papercut, you know how I feel about that. And, stop being so dramatic, Fabray. She's a friend and I'm helping her out. She can't be alone while recovering and she has no one here except me so, once again, good samaritan. Aaand, she's straight. As in likes boys. I am a girl. I'm sure you remember that much." she defended herself with a glare.

Quinn was speechless. She was sure she should order a PET scan for Santana because surely she must have some sort physical anomaly that is making her do such asinine things.

"Anyway, I'm going to see Figgins after this so I can get time off."

"Hey, Santana, come here." Quinn kindly requested.

Santana leaned forward, not sure why but still did. Only to have Quinn hold her chin in place and flash her light in her eyes.

"Equal, round, and reactive." she stated as she let Santana's chin go. "You're fine. You're just stupid."

Santana had no choice but to roll her eyes.

"I'm not stupid. I'm just trying to make up for lost time. Next week, I'll make an appointment with the fertilization specialist you and Rachel used." she joked. "Look, I liked Brittany before I really had any reason to like her. Now after having met her and spoken to her, I have a ton of reasons to like her. Sadly she's straight and going through some tough times which means she's off limits but that's not going to stop me from being there for her. Watch yo' back, bitch. She might give you some competition for the coveted 'best friend' slot. Look, I gotta go catch Figgins. Call me if anything, babe." Santana excused herself and gave a stunned Quinn a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, wait, are you going to finish that?" she asked as she point to a turkey sandwich and banana on Quinn's tray.

"Um, no. Go for it."

"Thanks. Bye. Also, now I totally understand why your kids are monsters. Aaaand, I'm fucking 32 years old, stop hitting me." she bid farewell.

Santana made her way to the elevator. Thankfully there were no awkward conversations on this elevator ride up. As she made her way to her boss' office, she got a little bit nervous. In these last few hours Santana has been more nervous than she has her entire adult-life. The last time she asked Figgins for extended time off, it was to help Quinn with her newborn after she had complications with the birth. Now she's taking time off for someone she just met. Maybe she was making a mistake. But as she thought of the blonde, she couldn't help but smile. That smile prove to her that there wasn't no doubt that she wasn't making a mistake.

She walked up to Figgins' office. She held up her hand up to the door but paused before knocking; definitely not a mistake, she assured herself before ultimately knocking. Instantly after she knocked, she heard a voice telling her to come in. She walked in, feeling slightly awkward as she remembered she still had a sandwich and banana in her hand, to see Dr. Figgins writing at his desk.

"Doctor Looopezzz, how are youu?" He greeted as he slipped off his glasses. "I hope this doesn't have anything to do with your proposition of having a churro stand added to our kitchen. It's been seven months, it's time to let go, Doctor." He condescendingly added.

"No, no, it's not that. I'm done with that. Finally." she drily chuckled. "I'd like to ask for some personal time. I need two weeks. I'll finish this week, but I need the two weeks after that off."

"Is everything okay, Dr. Lopez? Is it Dr. Fabray? I saw her threatening some little boys earlier, yelling about some telegram pictures; she seemed like her normal self." his voice had a hint of worry.

"Um, no. Fabray, her wife, and kids are fine. My friend was brought to the ER last night and after she gets discharged, I'll be tending to her. But frankly it shouldn't matter, I have four years' worth of vacation time saved up and I'm only asking for two weeks. Three, worst case scenario."

"You have friends?" He questioned but then caught himself. "Oh, oh, never mind, sorry. Of course, you can have two weeks. Have a month. Cutting down on personnel will be perfect for our budget." He said as he rifled through one of his drawers, ultimately pulling out a piece of paper. "Here." he says as hands her the paper, "we've been having some trouble balancing this fiscal quarter and cutting your hours is just the solution. To thank you, here is a 12% off coupon to the new pet shop down the block." He said with much appreciation.

Santana didn't care much for the coupon but she supposes she'll be able to get Tequila some nice toys with a 12% discount. She wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She kindly accepted the coupon and the "good luck keeping this friend" Figgins offered and headed back to Brittany's room.

As she got closer to the room, she saw Officer Puckerman sloppily leaned against the door.

"Having fun?" Santana sarcastically asked.

"I was having fun until I saw an 80 year old woman trying to run away from her nurse and then fell. And then her hospital gown rode up, giving me a bird's eye view of her dried up gibblets." Officer Puckerman shuddered at the memory, while Santana could barely contain her laughter.

"Yeah, it happens especially in the older population but they're sweethearts. Here, I brought you a sandwich." she told him as she shoved the sandwich into his hands. "It's turkey."

"Did you bring me a drink?" he asked looking behind her back for a drink.

"No, but I think I have some extra saline solution you can have, if you want. It's the good stuff, .9%, c'mon." She really couldn't believe this was the guy Detective Grayson posted here. She was positive this was some sort of revenge.

"Is that carbonated? I'm trying to cut back on the bubbly stuff. It bloats, you know." he said with a mouth full of turkey sandwich. "Oh, duh, you're a doctor."

Santana completely ignored him and entered the room where Brittany was up and flipping through the channels. She saw Santana and tried sitting up as best she could.

"Hey, roommie! Where'd you go? I thought you said you had someone covering for you?"

"Quinn covered me for the rest of my shift but I do have to finish the rest of my shifts for this week." she explained as she made her way across the room and sat down next to Brittany. "So, I went to check up on Quinn and then I asked my boss for two weeks off so I could take care of my future roommate. How are you feeling? Any soreness, tenderness, or aches different than you had before?"

"I'm fine, doooctor. My left side is sore but, you know, I have broken ribs. It's expected. My lip is itchy, it's scabbing over, ow. And my eyebrow too. I must look a hot mess with my injuries." Brittany shyly told Santana.

"No, you look beautiful." Santana instantly refuted but quickly looked away, not catching Brittany's blush. Santana coughed softly. "I'll be working Thursday and Saturday, but I'll be checking up on you when I'm not working. And, I'll tell Quinn to stop by soon so you'll two meet so when she checks up on you later on, it won't be so awkward. I also talked to the police officer outside, he seems like a total dud but harmless. I'm sure he wouldn't mind keeping you company for a few. So, then I'll be back Sunday and I'll be able to keep you company all day." she paused as she tried to think of anything she might have left out. "That is, if you want me to." she added as a disclaimer.

"Yes!" Brittany yelled. "I mean, yes, I'd like for you to keep me company." she said in a softer voice.

"Good, it's all settled." Santana smiled as she sat back and began to peel her banana.

"Santana?"

"Yeeess?"

Brittany looked down at her hands, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Hearing Brittany's question, she faltered and dropped her banana. She picked it up and walked over to the trash to throw it away. She took the opportunity to think about it; she honestly didn't know why she was doing all of this for Brittany.

"Because I want to get to know you." She's been on a roll with this honesty philosphy all day, why stop now?

"Oh, okay. I want to get to know you too." Brittany's eyes met Santana and smiled. "That sounds great. I want to get to know you too." She reaffirmed, giving Santana the tiniest bit of hope.


	4. Chapter 4

Santana was doing a happy dance on the inside but she caught herself. Brittany was admitted to the hospital because her ex-boyfriend assaulted her. Brittany didn't need some random woman hitting on her.

"Saaantanaaaa! I'm starvingggg." Brittany whined.

Santana looked beside Brittany's bed to see a tray full of food. "Well, that's sort of what happens when you don't eat." she asked as she looked down at her watch. "Brittany, it's almost lunch time. You haven't eaten all this time?"

"No."

"Why not? Are you nauseous? That's normal but you still have to eat." Santana asked as she walked over to Brittany's tray of food. Runny, gray, lumpy oatmeal, suspicious-looking apple sauce, and mystery juice. "Why didn't you eat this? It's looks delish." Santana painfully smiled and tried to make it sound appetizing.

Brittany faced her and arched her good eyebrow. "Really? Why don't you eat it then?" she challenged.

"Ugh, okay, fine. Well, your lunch should be here soon. If you don't like what they bring, we'll figure something out, all right?"

"Such as..."

"Such as I'll ask you what you'd like," Brittany's face lit up, "butttt, huge disclaimer: you just had your spleen removed and your ribs set. They weren't shattered but still... You can't be scarfing down a double cheeseburger or anything. Other than that, you'll be fine." The doctor explained to Brittany as she sat down in the seat next her.

"You'll eat with me? You dropped your banana so you didn't get a chance to eat. And, I really don't like eating alone. This last month of eating alone sucked. It was horrible, I've never felt so alone." Brittany's voiced wavered slightly. She took a moment to gather herself. "Buuut now, that I have a sexy doctor at my beck and call, there really isn't any reason that I should have to eat alone."

"Britt, what happened to you?" Santana softly asked ignoring the last thing Brittany said. She was too focused on how hurt Brittany sounded.

Brittany tensed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Santana quickly said. "Like I said, I'm here to keep you company. You want something done and I'll do it. You know, as long as it won't cause you any physical harm and trust me, a double cheeseburger will do that."

"You're so sweet. It's hard to believe there isn't a Mr. Doctor Lopez." Brittany laughed.

"Well, there is, actually. My dad."

"Oh, ew. That's not what I meant. Like, at all, San." The blonde scrunched her face and giggled.

"I know, I'm just messin'. Well, there wouldn't be a Mister Doctor Lopez." She took a deep breath and hoped for the best. "Actually, there'd be a Missus Doctor Lopez." Santana tentatively corrected.

"Okay, so how come there isn't a Missus Doctor Lopez?" Brittany responded without missing a beat. "Or is there? You didn't mention a wife in your spiel about yourself. If you are married but didn't mention her, that'd kinda make you an asshole, Santana." She shook her head at Santana.

With a light chuckle from Santana, "No, I'm not married. Actually I've never had a girlfriend." Why Santana chose to tell her that was beyond her.

"Why not?" Brittany asked as she furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Never needed one."

"Silly, no one needs a girlfriend. We can live just fine without one. In fact, it'll probably be easier without one. No fights. Never feeling smothered. No one hogging the shower in the mornings. Never PMSing at the same time when your cycles sync up." She took a breath. "No one needs that, no one wants that, it's bound to happen. All that shit happens regardless. But when you find someone you want – not need – it's all worth it. You'd go through that and a thousands more things to be able to fall asleep in her arms and wake up to her drooling on your shoulders. For the validation she'll give you. For the unconditional love and affection. For the company. For the unlimited supply of back rubs and baths and walks in the parks and definitely the super steamy sex. No one ever needs that but it just makes life better. So, I guess my question should change, have you ever wanted one?" Brittany posed her question and looked at Santana expectantly.

She does now.

"Honestly?"

"Of course, I wouldn't want anything else from you." Brittany answered with a smile.

"I didn't want that."

" 'didn't'?" Brittany questioned.

"Yeah, I didn't but now I do." Santana didn't know what else to say, her face and neck heating up distracted her from saying anything else. Brittany was just beat up by her ex, she doesn't need Santana all over her. "Oh, would you look at the time." she mentioned as she tried to find an out. "I'm going to check what's taking them so long with your lunch." She got up and headed for the nurses station before Brittany got a chance to say anything. The nurses have nothing to do with the distribution of meals but she needed a break from her talk with Brittany. She ignored Officer Puckerman's greeting and stood at the most empty spot at the nurses station.

"Hey, how are you? Long time no see, huh?" Elaine appeared out of nowhere.

"Yeah, an entire six hours. What are you doing here? This isn't your floor." The doctor asked.

"Well, gee, Santana. I didn't know you marked this as your territory. I'll keep that in mind." Elaine chuckled.

"Sorry, just curious." She let out as she rested her forehead on the counter.

"Why so down?"

She weighed her options. She wasn't one for dishonesty, she liked to keep shit real. However, she just ended things with Elaine, was she it really appropriate to talk to her about Brittany?

"Honestly?" Santana asked for the second time in the couple minutes.

"Up to you." The other woman replied with a shoulder shrug.

"You won't get mad?"

"Depends." Elaine replied.

"I'm crushing on a straight woman." The doctor rushed out.

"Serves you right."

"Hey!"

"I'm serious. You've been playing girls probably since you came out of the womb. It's karmic justice. The universe is finally biting you in the ass. But, you know, no hard feelings." Elaine said while she patted Santana on the back.

"Good to know."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"There's nothing I can do. She's straight. I'm a lesbian. These things just never work out while sober. And, entirely hypothetically, if she weren't straight, I couldn't pursue her or anything because she's in here. I'd feel like that sultry lioness that stalks the gazelle with the missing leg and waits until it's peacefully drinking water from the lake and then pounces on the poor thing in front of its herd. I couldn't do that to her." She finishes out of breath and with a whine.

"What do you mean 'in here'?"

"Like, in 3487. She was brought in last night. Bad shape."

"Really?" Elaine curiously asked slowly backing away toward room 3478. "How is she? Conscious?"

"Yeah. Obviously. Or else I wouldn't be keeping her company. Why?" She asked lifting her head off the desk. Looking for Elaine, watching her go towards Brittany's room. "Wait, Elaine!" She whispered yelled, trying to catch up to her.

Too late.

Elaine had already gone in.

"Thanks, Puckerman for letting Elaine in." she directed towards the officer.

"Hey, she's a nurse. She showed me her badge. I'm out here looking for a tall, blonde guy." The officer attempted to defend himself. But clearly, Santana ignored him and rushed into the room.

"... a friend of Santana's. She was telling me about you and I-" Elaine was cut off as Santana burst through the door.

"Elaine!" she exclaimed as Brittany and Elaine turned to look at her. "What are you doing?" she asked through a fake smile, trying not to alarm Brittany.

"Nothing, I was just introducing myself to your new friend here."

"Why?" Santana asked. Brittany didn't really know what was going on, so she just kept looking between the two.

"Because you don't have friends and I was curious."

"I have friends. I just made a friend! Her name's Nichole and she's a detective."

"Oh, did you sleep with her too?" Elaine bitterly asked.

Santana briefly looked at Brittany and then looked at the floor.

After seeing Santana's reaction, Elaine tried to fix what she had said. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Brittany," she answered still confused.

"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry that we couldn't have met under better circumstances but still, nice to meet you. Any friend of Santana's must be special." Elaine finished with a smile, hoping that her previous question would be forgotten.

"Yeah, Sanny is special and birds of a feather flock together." Brittany grinned.

" 'Sanny?' I see." Elaine looked at Santana.

"Yeahhh, it's short for Santana."

"Oh, yes, of course. I've just never had the permission to call her anything other than 'Santana'."

"What? Santana," she turned to Santana, "Do you not like it? I'm sorry, I didn't know. I'll stop, if you want."

"No. No. It's fine, don't worry. I like it. No one calls me that." Santana told Brittany as she took her seat next to Brittany.

"Not even Quinn?" The blonde inquired.

"Oh, so you've met Quinn? Wow, Santana. You sure do move fast." Elaine applauded Brittany's achievements.

"What? No. I haven't met Quinn yet."

"But you will?" Elaine pushed.

"Elaine!" Santana said. "Isn't there some pregnant woman crowning or effacing that needs your help?"

"No. I'm sure they're fine. Women have been giving birth without nurses for thousands of years. I'm sure they'll manage. I'm getting to know Brittany."

"Wait, so you're not bringing my food?" she asked as she looked around for some food Elaine might've brought in.

"No, she's not. She slipped in here without me knowing." Santana answered for Elaine.

"Oh, you don't want me to meet your friends?" The blonde asked as her shoulders dropped.

"No! I mean, Elaine isn't really my friend, per se."

"I'm not? You alluded to our friendship last night, I was just fulfilling my friendly duties."

"Yes! I'd like for us to be friends but isn't this awkward for you? I mean, it's a liiiiittle awkward for me and, I'm, well, me." she explained as she ducked her head a bit. Santana didn't know how to damage control, she wasn't even sure if damage control was needed.

"San, why is this awkward? I don't really get what's going on. So you didn't bring me my lunch? Where's my lunch?" Brittany really didn't know what was going, all she wanted was to eat with Santana, she didn't know why this lady was borderline interrogating her.

"No idea but up until Saturday night, she and I were sleeping together." answered Elaine.

"I thought you never had girlfriends?"

"She doesn't do that. That's exactly why she ended it. Consider yourself lucky, Brittany." Elaine said with a smirk.

"Elaine! Leave! Please, for the love of God. Go check dilated cervixes. I'll buy you all the drinks you want. Hell, I'll buy you a damn bar. Here," Santana rushed over to Elaine and shoved her hand in her pocket to pull out her credit card, "take my credit card and buy whatever you want. Please, just go." she begged in a pleading whisper.

"Thanks. You're buying me dinner." she then smiled at Brittany, "It was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll see each other soon. Bye." she waved as she made her exit.

"Sooo, when do I get to meet Quinn? I hope she's normal because no offense but Elaine was weird and kind of a bitch. She just put your business out there." Santana couldn't help but laugh. "And, she didn't bring me my food. That was the worst part."

"She's a nurse in Labor and Delivery. Nurses aren't in charge of nutrition. The cafeteria has people for that." the brunette explained.

"Oh, well, since your friend – I think you should get your credit card back before she goes on shopping spree to spite you for stringing her along, by the way – didn't bring me food, you should totally get me some food." Brittany said with a light tone.

"I should? And, don't worry, she left a pair of Manolo Blahnik's at my apartment so, we're pretty much even." Santana sat back down and checked her nails.

"Yeah, you should. Of course. Since you did her wrong but she's taking it out on your card, you should make it up to me." Brittany nodded her head to get her point across.

"Really?"

"Mmhm." Brittany hummed in agreement.

"What else should I do in order to 'make this up to you'?" Santana asked in a rather playful tone.

"You should get me some food. Then you should totally get me a brush or something or at least braid my hair because I saw myself in the mirror when I went to pee earlier and it scared the beejeezus out of me. Theeen you should totally give me a foot rub." she says as pulls up her blanket and wiggles her toes.

"Food? I can do. Allergies? Hair? I can totally trick you out with some corn rows. I can even write your name. Foot rub? I don't know how good I'll be. I've only done it twice. Quinn was pregnant with the twins and she blackmailed me into doing it. I swear it wasn't my fault. It was her kid's fault."

"No allergies. A french braid will suffice. And you know what they say, practice makes perfect. Oh, what'd you do? I bet it'd make a great story."

Santana just shook her head in laughter as she pulled out her phone to text Quinn to bring up Brittany up lunch, reminding her of Brittany's injuries. "No, seriously. Pleasseeeee. With everything that's happened and the fact that I had a super long day at work before, my legs and feet are super sore but the meds make them tingly. Super weird. But, normal sore not sore-sore, so don't worry."

"Fine, fine. I won't ask if you need another dosage. Okay. Let me wash my hands." Santana wasn't complaining. She'd take any excuse to touch Brittany. She asked for it. It's not like Santana was taking advantage of her. Totally not a sultry lioness. She went to the bathroom and washed her hands. She dried off her hands she sat of the corner of the bed and began to rub at Brittany's feet. "What do you? For a living, I mean."

"Oh, gosh, that feels soooo good. I'm glad Elaine is bitter." Brittany let out a pleased moan.

Music to Santana's ears.

"What? Why?" She asked as she tilted her head in confusion. Bitter ex hook-ups are bad news. She's had her car keyed enough times to prove that.

"If she weren't bitter, I wouldn't have been able to talk you into rubbing my feet." Brittany slyly responds.

"You'd be surprised." Santana mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"Never mind. Anyway, answer my question." she said to get the conversation back on track.

"Oh, right! I'm a dancer. Well, now I teach it. I have my own dance studio and I teach some classes. I brought the company over here from Chicago."

"Dancer, huh?" The possibilities of what Brittany's body was capable of were endless in her mind.

"Yup, I've been dancing since I can remember. It's all I've wanted to do, you know, except be mom and having a billion kids."

Santana coughed at that last part. Of course Brittany would want a troupe of kids. It would be her luck. But, thinking about it, it doesn't sound that bad. Who was she kidding? Brittany would get married to that perfect, all-American guy and have those kids with him. Then she'll ask Santana to be their godmother and since Santana is a newly developed masochist, she'd accept.

"... and that's why MIT didn't work out." Brittany finished.

"Oh, sorry." Santana lamented, without truly knowing why.

"No, it's fine. They were morons, didn't know integrals from their anti-derivatives or when to use the correct Right-Hand rule. It was nice to go back home to Chicago. For a while, at least."

"Yeah, nice accent, by the way."

"Hardee Har Har."

"I'm kidding. You can hardly hear it. What else can you tell me about yourself?" Santana asked as she kept rubbing at Brittany's feet.

"You have a dog, well I have a cat. His name's Lord Tubbington. Wait, what happened to all of my stuff? Like my purse? And my pants? Also," Brittany leans forward and begins to whisper "when I went to pee, I found out I'm not wearing any panties."

Santana swears her heart stopped. She's doctor, she knows the symptoms of cardiac arrest.

She cleared her throat before she answered, "Um, yeah, all that stuff gets taken off for surgery. But your purse, I don't know."

"Do you think you can call Detective Grayson to ask her or is she also pissed because you slept with her?" Brittany says with a smirk.

"How did you-"

"Wow, you're not even denying it. Elaine said it, remember?" Brittany smugly interrupted, with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Oh, right. She did. She wasn't that mouthy when we were doing it." The brunette muttered under her breath but loud enough for Brittany to hear.

"I don't know. She might've been but you might've been to occupied to notice." Brittany continued to tease.

"Hey, keep this up and I'll stop." Santana threatened and let go of Brittany's foot.

"No, no, no, I'll stop teasing you about sleeping with Elaine and my cop." She compromised as she wiggled her toes again.

"That's what I thought, Miss Pierce."

"When did you and Detective Grayson meet? She can't be that mad at you if you guys seemed all right when she was asking me questions." Brittany genuinely asked.

"Um, we met today."

"And you already had sex!?" She was surprised. Nichole was literally in the room for ten minutes. Santana sure does work fast.

"Um, yes?" Santana responded as if she were afraid of saying the wrong answer.

"Wow, I didn't know you had it like that." Brittany should have known though. The tiny detective was eyeballing Santana the entire time. What a slut.

"Like what?"

"I didn't know you were so, so, I guess, slutty." Brittany let out.

"Hey!" Santana exclaimed. She didn't know why because the shoe certainly fit.

"No offense. I'm not judging. But since you have an in with her, get my stuff." Brittany demanded as she playfully narrowed her eyes at Santana.

"I'll talk to the cop outside to see if he has her number."

"You had sex with her but didn't get her number? Daaamnn, San-tan-aaa."

"Wait, wait, don't get the wrong idea. I'm not like that. I mean, I am, well, I was. Not anymore." Santana tried to do some slight damage control. If she didn't need it before, she needed it now.

" 'was'? You were? She was just here a couple hours ago, you mean to tell me that some time during these past couple hours you had a change of heart?"

"Well. Yes." Santana frankly stated.

"Really?"

"Yes. You wanted honesty so I'm giving you honesty."

"Uh-huh, and what caused this change of heart?" Brittany asked as she tried to sit up straighter.

"Hello, hello, hello! Doctor Fabray here and she comes bearing gifts." Quinn came in holding a bag of food.

Santana has never loved Quinn more than she does now. She didn't want to lie to Brittany but she didn't want to put her in an awkward situation by admitting she was the reason for Santana's change of heart.

"Quinn!" she yelled as she rushed over to Quinn, giving her a bear hug. "Oh, my gosh. I love you so much, I love you, I love you, I love you." she whispered in Quinn's ear.

"Get off me, Santana." she pushed Santana back. "I'm flattered but I'm married." she says as she shows her wedding ring. "I'm sure you remember, you were there for the wedding. Not only did Rachel make you wear that horrible orange jersey dress, you got bitch-slapped in the middle of the dance floor for sleeping with her cousin's girlfriend a couple years before. Hilarious." She stopped talking to Santana and turned her attention to Brittany. "Well, hello, Brittany. I'm Quinn and Santana has not been able to shut up about you. I just had to come up and see for myself. But, don't worry, I brought you food." Quinn introduced herself as she sat down in Santana's usual seat, handing Brittany the bags.

"Score! Nice to meet you Quinn." she said as she held out her hand for Quinn.

"Quinn?" Santana tried to get her attention.

"What, Santana? I'm trying to get to know Brittany." Quinn responded with irritation.

"Don't embarrass me. Elaine was already here and she talked about the cop so don't make it worse." She warned before going to wash her hands.

"Don't exaggerate, Sanny. It wasn't that bad. We've all went through our slut phases, it's no one's fault that you're still going through yours." Brittany chuckled and shook her head while looking through the bags Quinn gave her.

"No! I'm not going through it still. I'm done. I told you, change of heart. No more." Santana firmly said. She was serious about this. She wanted Brittany to know that.

"Yeah, you never did get to tell me what caused that change of heart." She asked as she looked up from the bags.

"You did." Quinn answered before Santana had the opportunity to.

"Quinn!" Santana exclaimed.

"I did?" Brittany asked confused.

"What?" Quinn directed to Santana and then back to Brittany "You did. She's known you for less than a day and she decided to stop fucking around. I've known her since we were 14 and I haven't been able to get her to stop. Kudos, Brittany." Quinn honestly congratulated Brittany.

"Quuuiiinnn, stop talking. None of you talk. I have to wash my hands."

Santana couldn't believe what was going on. Quinn had told Brittany she was the reason. She really didn't want to be dishonest with Brittany, she deserves more than lies. She just didn't want to make her uncomfortable. She quickly washed her hands and went to sit down in the chair next to Brittany but Quinn had already occupied it. She settled with the tiny couch against the wall.

"I'm back. You may now speak, I can monitor the conversation. Continue." Santana dismissively waved her hand.

"Well, I'm glad we have your blessing now, you majesty." Quinn sarcastically answered.

"So, did you sleep with Santana too?" Brittany casually asked as she slowly tried to uncover her chicken breast and mashed potatoes with baby carrots.

Santana choked on air.

"Are you okay, San?" Brittany sweetly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Santana croaked out while Quinn was desperately trying to hold back her laughter; she's never seen Santana get this flustered. She noticed that Brittany was struggling opening the container with only one hand, so she walked over to help. "Okay, so honestly?"

"Always."

"Oh, my gosh. Yes, we had a horrible, drunken night junior year." Quinn spoke. Again, before Santana could.

"Hey! It wasn't horrible." She turned to Brittany as she finished opening it, "It wasn't horrible, I don't do horrible." she vehemently said. She couldn't have Brittany thinking she was horrible.

"Do you have any friends that you haven't slept with? So far you have," Brittany said as she held up hand, "Elaine, Nichole, Quinn" as she counted off as she held up fingers. "Elaine said you didn't have many friends. Maybe you don't have friends because you sleep with them all. You should stop and maybe you'll have some more." Brittany told her as she took a bite of her chicken.

"Of course I have friends I haven't slept with!"

"Yeah, because they're gay or married." Quinn put her two cents in.

"Well, Mercedes is straight and we kinda' hated each other in high school. We only got close after we went away to college. Tina, or Doctor Cohen Chang, is married to Boy Chang. Kurt is a huge homo, like a strong breed of homo. And, Rachel? I don't have an elf fetish."

"Santana!"

"Okay, fine. Rachel isn't all that bad when she isn't talking or pregnant. Or married to you." Santana glared at Quinn.

"Interesting." Brittany stated as she rubbed her chin between her index finger and thumb before taking another bite.

"How is that interesting?" Santana asked.

"No reason. I was just wondering. I'm not married or straight or an elf, as far as I know, so I was just wondering when it was my turn to take a ride on Santana." she teased.

Santana stopped breathing. Brittany riding Santana, was the only thing Santana could think of.

"Okay, okay, okay, calm down, S." Quinn said as she rolled her eyes. "She's just busting your chops." She turned to Brittany, "You are just busting her chops, right? Because she's bad enough as it is without having the feelings mutual."

Santana still couldn't breath; she had begun to envision Brittany's dancing body riding all sorts of things.

"I wouldn't mind." she answered as she took another bite of the mashed potatoes. "These mashed potatoes could use more salt. And butter. Butter is good."

"No, low sodium is good for you right now. Wait, what do you mean 'you wouldn't mind'?" Quinn asked Brittany.

"Yeah, no salt." Santana came back to reality.

Brittany whined in disappointment. "Just because you guys have me on percocet, doesn't mean I'm blind. Have you seen Santana? Not only is she hot, she's sweet and adorable."

"Santana?" Quinn asks in disbelief as she points to Santana. "No."

"What's that supposed to mean? I can be nice. I'm super endearing, asshole." Santana shot back.

"Yup, that Santana Lopez." Brittany finished her bite, "It's only been a little since we've really met but she's been so incredibly nice to me and has really gone out of her way for me. And, Jesus Christ, have you seen her ass?" She turned to Santana, "you have a nice ass. Just the right amount of round and perky. Can't wait to see it out of scrubs." she added a wink. "The fact that she's into me is just a plus. So, like I said, I wouldn't mind. Are you sure I can't have some salt on this? And where's the rest of it? I feel like this came from the kids' menu. I don't know if you read this in that chart, but I'm 30 and a half years old."

"It's not off the kids' menu. It's off the 'just had an organ removed and a lung punctured menu'. If I could, I would bu-"

"Wait!" Santana abruptly interrupted. "What makes you think I'm into you?" Santana then nonchalantly asked.

"Why wouldn't you be into me? Is there something wrong with me?" Brittany dead-panned.

"No, no, there's nothing wrong with you." Santana was quickly to say.

Quinn couldn't take it anymore. "Oh, gosh. Okay, here it is: she's into you but you're straight, or so we thought, and were recently admitted into this hospital so she didn't want to say anything and add more drama to your plate. Since she's barely tolerated and/or knew the girls she's been with before, so she's been having an internal panic attack because she doesn't know what feelings are."

"Well, you weren't really all that discrete were you?" Brittany teased.

"I don't know you are talking about, Miss Pierce." she said as she stole one of Brittany's baby carrots.

"I'm going to go find someone to help. You two are ridiculous. You belong together. Have fun. See you around." Quinn got up to leave but turned around before she went anywhere. "Wait. Brittany, by default you know more about dating and relationships than she does, so don't hold anything against her."

"Of course not. Thank you for everything, Doctor Quinn." Brittany said as she smiled at Quinn. "You should eat the rest of my carrots. They were soggy but I didn't want to hurt Quinn's feelings." she pushed her plastic plate of food toward Santana. "Also, I'm still waiting for my hair to be braided. So, chop chop." she playfully demanded.

"All right, give me a sec to scarf down whatever she got me." Santana looked in the bag to find quesadillas. "Quesadillas? That bitch, she knows I don't like quesadillas. But whatever." She went back to sit in her rightful seat next to Brittany. She wanted to talk about what Brittany had said but she didn't want to push her now that they were alone. She didn't want Brittany to tense up again like she did when she asked about what happened to her.

"Okay, it's not like I'm going anywhere." Brittany said as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"You better not." she playfully threatened.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Sanny."

"I would hope not. I'm already attached. I'm super curious and even more excited." Santana giddily responded before taking another bite.

"Excited for what?"

"To, I don't know, date you." She didn't know what came next but since Brittany implied that she found Santana attractive, she figured it would be the next step.

"Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you, Doctor? Just because I wanna ride that, doesn't necessarily mean I want to date you." Brittany sat up again to look at Santana.

Santana's shoulders slumped in defeat. She should've known better. She got up to throw everything away. "Okay. Give me a second to wash my hands and I'll braid your hair." After she finished washing her hands, she quietly walked next to Brittany. She ran her fingers through Brittany's hair before she began to braid it.

After a while of quiet, "I met my ex boyfriend in high school. We only got close right as we were about to graduate but I went away to MIT and he stayed back. We kept in touch and when I went back to Chicago, we were the best of friends until we were more than just friends. But that was years after I went back. We were together for about a half a year until he started acting funny." Neither Santana nor Brittany spoke. "Look, to cut my sob story short, he became abusive and I ended it, it took me a while but I did end it. He didn't accept that and he started stalking me and badgering everyone I worked with and my friends. I put up for it for a couple of months before I couldn't take it anymore. I took the first flight over here and brought my company with me. It was fine until last night, apart from the loneliness. And, from there, you know the rest." Brittany finished with tears in her eyes.

"You didn't have to tell me that, Britt." she softly said as she ran her fingers through the blonde's hair.

"I owed you that much. You offered to let me stay with you, I had to tell you. There's a cop out there for a reason. I don't know how he found me here. I didn't tell anyone where I was moving but he found me. He hurt me and if he hurt you, I couldn't live with myself. That's why I can't give you what you want. I just can't. Can you imagine what he'd do to you if he found out? You've done more for me in this one day than my other friends ever did. Do you think they did anything to stop Sam? Did anything to help me? No. That's why I didn't tell them anything. I'm afraid of him but I'm more afraid of what he could do to you. I shouldn't even be staying with you. I was just being selfish. I can't stay with you. Thanks but I should just get an at-home nurse until the cops find Sam." Brittany began to shake from crying. Her ribs hurt and her lungs burned but she couldn't stop crying.

"I can take care of myself, Brittany." Santana gently told her. "If you let me, I'll take care of you too. No questions asked. I expect nothing in return. I don't care about Sam or anyone else. You're staying with me, especially after what you just told." Santana had to stop because she could feel herself getting angry and Brittany didn't need anger. "I'm unlisted. There's a security guard at the front desk and I have an alarm to my own apartment." She bent down to look at Brittany's face. "You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you. I'll be here. I promised you that. If you don't want to potentially date me because you honestly don't want to, that's fine. I'll back off but I won't stop caring. Just don't say no because you're afraid I'll get hurt. Can't we just cross that bridge when we get there? I want to get to know you. That wasn't a pick-up line or anything. It's the truth. I want to get to know you, Brittany."

Brittany turned to try to bury her face into Santana's neck. Santana didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her. She could feel tears on her neck and Brittany shaking in her arms. There was nothing she could do but just hold her.

"Please don't leave me. I don't have anyone else. Don't leave me alone." Brittany pleaded through her sobs.

"I won't, Britt. I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

Santana doesn't know how long she stood there with Brittany sobbing in her arms. She held her as tightly as she could without hurting her, promising her that everything would be all right. Promising that she would be all right. It didn't take long for the crying to subside and Brittany to fall asleep. Santana kept Brittany in her arms long after she fell asleep. Listening to Brittany's ragged breathing served only as a reminder of everything she has suffered.

Brittany fled from Chicago. She fled from an abusive ex-boyfriend. She fled from worthless friends. Her family was no where to be found. She really was alone. Santana couldn't imagine being alone. Regardless of how much she bickered with Quinn and Rachel, she knew they would always be there for her. Her family although was in Ohio, they were nothing more than a phone call away.

She was in awe that someone who uprooted her life to hide could still maintain a cheery demeanor. Of course, barring the breakdown that resulted in Santana protectively holding her. That only served as a testament to Brittany's immense strength. Santana didn't make any empty promises, she knew Brittany would make it through this. She would get through this due to her own strength.

Whether ten minutes passed or an hour it didn't matter to her. She would hold Brittany as long as she had to. She wasn't going to leave her alone when she needed someone the most. She stood there rubbing circles up and down Brittany back, mindful of her injuries. She wasn't sure what to say to Brittany when she wakes up. She didn't know what Brittany needed. The only thing on her mind is to make Brittany safe. That's what mattered most to Santana, Brittany's safety.

After a while, she could feel Brittany start stirring.

"Hey, there Sleeping Beauty. How are you?" Santana shifted a little and looked down at Brittany.

Brittany swallowed deeply, "Although you may be my Doctor Charming, Sleeping Beauty received a kiss to awaken from her slumber." Her voice raspy from crying but she smirked as she continued, "I think you forgot that tidbit." she finished as she puckered her lips as she flickered her eyes completely open.

After her laughter died down, Santana said "Don't tempt me, Miss Pierce." With a playful glare, she helped Brittany lay comfortably in her bed. Her playful glare shifted into a concerned expression. "But, seriously, how are you? You had your face leaning against my neck, putting pressure on it. Are you feeling any discomfort in your left cheek?" She looked at Brittany's bruises looking for any differences but also wondering how much more beautiful she'd be without them.

"No, why would there be?" her right hand shot up to feel her face. "It looked a bit weird, like swollen, in the mirror but I just thought it was part of the black eye he gave me." She gently ran her fingers across her cheek, feeling only mild tenderness.

She ran her hand down Brittany's right arm and placed her hand over Brittany's. "Brittany, your left cheekbone has two fractures. I thought it was shattered but luckily it wasn't, just fractured. The surgeons went through the inside of your mouth to set it. No plates or pins needed." The doctor explained as she rubbed circles on the back of Brittany's hands with her thumb.

"Oh, that makes sense. I was wondering what that was in my mouth." Brittany squinted a little. "My eye's fine though, right?" she questioned.

"Your eyes are as perfect as ever. Orbital fractures usually happen with cheekbone injuries but you're clear."

Brittany nodded taking in the information, relieved that she wasn't as injured as she could be after what happened to her. She flinched for an instant as she remembered Sam kicking her last night but quickly pushed that thought aside. "How are you?" Brittany asked as she gave Santana a small smile. Santana was a bit confused, after her break down she was asking Santana if she was okay.

"Um, why wouldn't I be okay?" she frowned in confusion as she slipped her fingers through Brittany's.

"Weeeell," Brittany dragged out, "could it be because you just had a strange woman cry in your arms until she fell asleep? After she told you her sob story? Could it possibly be that?" Brittany looked down at their intertwined hands.

Santana quietly laughed. She couldn't believe that Brittany was worried about her. Brittany was the one in the hospital, Brittany was the one with the deranged ex after her, yet she was worried about Santana. Brittany truly was one of a kind.

"Why are you laughing?" Brittany looked up at Santana and tilted her head in confusion.

"Why am I laughing? Brittany! You're the one laying in this hospital bed with a cop standing guard outside your door and you're asking _me _if I'm okay?" Shaking her head, she gave Brittany a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me, I'm Doctor Charming. I'm supposed to be saving you, remember?" she reminded Brittany hoping to get her to crack a smile but it didn't work. "There's no where else I rather be. Maybe if I stick around long enough, Doctor Charming will finally get to awaken Sleeping Beauty with a big ol' smooch."

Finally, she smiled.

Before either of them could speak, they were startled by a knock at the door.

They both looked at each other, wondering who could be knocking, before Santana told Brittany she'd be right back. Dr. Cohen Chang was here not too long ago so it couldn't be her. She opened the door to see Detective Grayson holding a couple of bags.

"Hey, Detective Grayson, how are you?" she opened the door wide enough for the Detective to get through with her bags.

"Santana, I think we should be on a first name basis, considering this morning. Don't you think? We're friend's now." the detective joked as she walked in to stand in front of Brittany's bed. "Hello, Miss Pierce. How are you doing?"

"Brittany, call me Brittany please. I'm doing all right, given the circumstances." Giving Nichole a polite nod.

"That's good to hear. I'm sure Santana has been a great friend to have around." Turning to Santana, flashing her a toothy smile and a wink.

"I sure am. I'm a fast learner." she beamed, as she rolled on the balls of her feet in pride. She willingly and purposely went out of her way to make a friend. Achievement.

Nichole directed her attention back to Brittany, "Anyway, good news and bad news. Bad news: our only lead on Evans' whereabouts hit a dead-end. He checked into a motel, apparently he had been there for a 17 days but checked out early this morning at around 0200. We have no idea where he is but we did issue a warrant for his arrest, of course, and an Attempt to Locate for him and his registered vehicle. We contacted Chicago PD and alerted them of the assault and his possible return. We won't stop looking for him in the area but we are unaware of where he is. Is there anything or anywhere you could think of that might give us any indication of his whereabouts?"

Brittany thought about it but nothing.

"No, nothing. He and I never talked about anything remotely close to here." she regrettably answered. "Wait. Do you think he knows where my apartment is?" she worried as she looked at Santana with her eyes wide with fear. Seeing that fear, Santana rushed back to Brittany's side.

Nichole sighed before beginning, "There's no way to be sure. He did know where your studio was and he was in the area for 17 days. He most likely did follow you, considering the grounds on which his restraining order in Chicago was implemented. We did speak to the security guards at your building they did not recognize him but all the means is that he hasn't been within the property lines." Nichole let a minute pass allowing Brittany to take in what she said before continuing. "But, good news: we cleared the belongings you had with you during the incident." she said as she held up a plastic bag with a purse and duffel bag.

"That's good but I rather know where Sam is." Brittany dropped her shoulders. "It's been years, I just want this shit to be over. I want to be able to leave my house without being stalked or leave my studio without being attacked. Who knows what he'll do next time?"

"Britt, don't worry, no matter what, you'll be safe. I promise. I'll promise you that until you believe me." Santana whispered near Brittany's ear placing a small kiss below her ear. She waited a few seconds before she stood up again.

"We'll find him, Brittany." Nichole reassured. "But for now, Officer Pucker is more than capable at standing guard. And if for whatever reason, Evans gets past him, I'm sure that Santana could protect you." she teased, giving Santana another wink. "Oh, Santana, give me your phone so I can give you my personal details." she held out her hand at Santana.

Santana, still holding Brittany's hand, pulled her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it and handed it to Nichole.

"Personal details?" Brittany asked a bit suspiciously as she faced Santana.

"It makes sense. I'd like to have Nichole contact me directly in the event something happens. And plus, we're friends now!" She proudly exclaimed, unaware of Brittany's skepticism.

"All right." Brittany answered.

Nichole returned Santana's phone. "Okaaay, done. I have your info and you have mine." she addressed Brittany, "Call me if anything. If you come up with anything that might suggest where he might be staying, do not hesitate to call. That's it for me, I'll see you two soon. Hopefully outside of this hospital. Bye." Nichole bid farewell.

"Are you all right?" Santana asked the blonde as she sat down.

Brittany huffed, "I'm fine, there's only the slight issue of me being held up in the damn hospital because Sam can't man the fuck up and accept that I want nothing to do with him so he beat the shit out of me and the detective that you fucked keeps hitting on you. You, the first person in years that I want to let myself get close to. I'm fine, Santana." she snapped.

Santana froze. She knew she had asked a dumb question but she wasn't expecting an answer like that.

Brittany sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. You, you just finally got her number after everything that happened and I, you know..." her voice trailed off.

"What? No, I don't know."

"I got jealous. She's all dressed up, not wearing a hospital gown, and her face isn't shattered and she probably doesn't have all this baggage literally following her around. Baggage that can seriously hurt you, Santana." She let go of Santana's hand and wrap her arm around herself.

That didn't make sense to Santana. She didn't think of Nichole like that. Even during those few minutes they spent in that room, she couldn't stop thinking about Brittany. Nothing else mattered.

Santana took a deep breath and tried to reach for Brittany's hand again. "You've been on my mind since you were brought here last night. You've been the only thing on my mind. I don't know why but you are. Even when I messed around with Nichole, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't stop from feeling so guilty. Guilty because I felt like I was betraying a woman I didn't know at all. It doesn't make sense for me to feel this way because apart from your medical history, I know almost nothing about you. I hate that I know nothing about you because like I told you before, I want to know you. More than anything, I want to know you. I need to know you." Santana said everything she could say. She was out of breath by the time she finished but she didn't care. She just wanted Brittany to understand.

"No, you shouldn't feel guilty, we don't know each other and I told you that I don't want you hurt. If this does progress and Sam hasn't been caught, then you will get hurt. I can't let that happen. My jealously is me being irrational. I have no claim on you." Brittany firmly told Santana.

"I won't get hurt, that's the least of my worries. I'm worried about keeping you safe. Even if I have to use my Lima Heights connections and owe some people some favors, I'll do it. I don't break my promises. I'm not going to start now with you. You shouldn't be jealous of someone like Nichole. It meant nothing to me. At all." Santana looked into Brittany's eyes in hopes that she sees how serious she is.

She decides to break the silence. "You're wrong, you know."

"What?"

"You said that you don't have any claim on me but you're wrong. Maybe you didn't do it on purpose but you did it. Here I am, 20 hours after seeing you on that gurney and I don't want to be any place else but sitting here with you."

"Then why'd you have sex with Nichole and then ask her to be friends?" Brittany meekly asked.

"I panicked. You made me think about all these things I've never thought of before. You made me feel all these things and I had no idea what to do. So, I went and did what I do know. I had meaningless sex. I realized that wasn't what you needed. The person you deserve to be with has more than the four friends she met in high school. I don't know, you deserve an adult. Not a 32-year-old that used women for the sole purpose of meaningless sex. I don't know how to make friends but I figured that could be a step in the right direction of growing. She was there and she seemed nice enough. No reason other than that. I had to start somewhere."

"I don't deserve someone like you. You don't need all this bullshit in your life." Brittany dejectedly said and looked away.

"You, Miss Pierce, are right." She tried to get Brittany to look at her. When she succeeded, she continued. "I don't need bullshit in my life but I'll take it because I want you in my life. I don't need anything but I want you. Whether it's as a friend, your personal physician, yoga buddy, or anything else, I'll take it. I don't care."

Brittany nodded until she spoke, "Okay."

"Okay?" Santana asked incredulously. "That's it?"

"Yup, I believe you. You feel as attached to me as I do to you; we've accepted it's fast but it is what it is. Now, pass me my duffel bag so I can at least put some panties on." She finished with a grin.

Santana accepted Brittany's finality. She was more than content with how Brittany described their dynamic. She was glad to move on from all the heavy conversation. "Ugh, do you have to wear panties? I was hoping to sneak a peek." She complained.

"San!" Brittany playfully chided Santana.

"Kidding, kidding." she said as she gently placed the duffel bag next to Brittany.

Brittany unzipped and looked through it trying to find some clothes. "I'm glad I tend to shove everything in this thing. Now I can wear real clothes instead of this dumb gown. I won't be able to attend any fancy-schmancy galas with this stuff but it'll do." She pulled out some underwear. "Do you think I can bend down far enough to get dressed?"

"I really wouldn't recommend it. It'll hurt like a bitch. Aaand, those fancy-schmancy galas aren't all that fancy. There's one in a couple of months, you'll see what I mean then."

"So are you going to help me? Wait, 'I'll see what you mean?'" She looked up from her bag.

"Umm, I just thought you wouldn't mind going with me. Those things can get quite tedious and boring if you don't have the right company." She stood up and held out her hand, letting Brittany know she was going to help.

"I'll see if I can pencil it in, San." she joked but kept looking through her bag seeing what else she can find. "Can I wear a shirt and sweats too? Or do I have to wear this gown?"

"It'll be fun. Free booze and we can make fun of all the pretentious old farts." Santana tried to make it appealing to Brittany. "Your call. You're stable. But if you had a button down, that'd be great. It'd be easier to check your incision."

Brittany rummaged through her bag. "You're going to that same gala. Doesn't that make you a pretentious old fart too?" she held up a light blue button down shirt. "Okay, help me get up, please."

"No, not at all. At least not yet. I'm not on their level yet." Santana removed Brittany's blanket from her body. After Brittany slowly got up, she handed Santana her underwear. Santana blushed holding Brittany's panties but still knelt and helped Brittany step into her boyshorts. Once she regained her balance, Santana slowly and carefully pulled them up under her gown up her seemingly endless legs, occasionally her fingers brushed Brittany's skin. Once those were on all the way, Brittany handed her some black sweats to help her put on.

"Thanks. I just have the shirt to put on."

Santana unbuttoned the gown and pulled it down her arms, laying it down on the chair. Brittany's chest, abdomen, and side were littered with overlapping deep red, almost black, bruises. She knew they'd soon turn blue and purple and then green. She couldn't see her lack of spleen or fractured bones but she could see the gashes and bruises; those served only as a constant, visible reminder of what happened. The bruises were accompanied by gashes and scratches that most likely came from the bottom of her ex's shoe. She cringed at the thought of Brittany helpless on the ground being stomped on by that asshole.

"That bad?" Brittany breathed out.

Santana tore her eyes away from Brittany's body and looked at her eyes. "It could be worst. I'm so sorry this happened to you, Brittany. I, I, I don't know what to say." Santana's voice broke as she felt a few tears come down her cheeks. She looked down so Brittany wouldn't see her tears but felt a hand cup her cheek.

"Don't say anything then." she offered, "Just help me put my shirt on. I'm fine. Or, I will be fine. I'm going to be rooming with a doctor soon, of course I'm going to be fine." she joked lightly.

After wiping her tears, Santana carefully pulled Brittany's left arm through the shirt. "I don't know how good of a roommate I'm going to be. I've never lived with anyone other than my family. That was like 14 years ago."

"What? Not even in college?" she put her other arm through the shirt.

"Nope, my parent's got me an apartment off campus. They didn't want me to be distracted with dorms and whatnot." she stepped closer and began to button up Brittany's shirt.

"Oh, that makes sense. I'll give you a crash course on having a roommate. It'll be awesome."

"I bet." she said as she finished buttoning the last button on her shirt. She held her breath after realizing how close she was to Brittany. She swallowed thickly. "Done. Are you comfy?" Her fingers lingered on the last button. She knew if she move in the slightest, her lips would make contact with Brittany's. Neither of them moved.

Santana could feel Brittany's breath on her cheek."Super comfy. I think you should kiss me now." Brittany breathed out.

Santana's breath hitched. She closed her eyes and gently gave Brittany a kiss on the cheek making her pout. She let her lips linger against Brittany's cheek before speaking. "I want to do this the right way." She whispered next to Brittany's ear. "I want, no – I need to make you feel how you deserve to feel. I need to treat you like you deserve to be treated. I can't do this now. But I will." she stood back and watched Brittany's eye slowly open. "Plus, I don't want to hurt your lip."

Brittany smiled, "Okay. You're right. I'm not fully convinced it's safe for you, I guess it depends on what Nichole tells us next. Aaand, it's too soon for that anyway."

"Oh, because me asking to move in with me the day we met wasn't?" the doctor retorted.

"No, that's normal for a lesbian."Brittany simply stated. "Help me sit, please?" Santana held her hand out so Brittany could brace herself. "When are they going to take these stitches out? They're already starting to itch like a mofo." she whines as scratches the air over her incision.

"Depends how quick you heal. But considering that you've been doing exceptionally well so far, I would say within ten days. How's your headache?" Santana glanced over at Brittany's monitor.

"It's fine. Can you pass me my purse please? I need my phone to make a couple of phone calls for the studio."

"Sure, do you need me to leave?" Santana bent down to pick up Brittany's purse. She let herself get used to the weight of it in her hand, accepting the distinct possibility of being Brittany's purse bitch in the future.

"You don't have to but I would like to ask you a huuuuge favor..." Brittany asked as she had a nervous smile on her face.

"Sure, anything for you. You know that." Santana shrugged her shoulders as she took her rightful seat next to Brittany.

"I have a cat..."

"Right, Lord Tubbington, you mentioned."

"He's all alone and probably hungry. Could you maybe go visit him and feed him?"

"Sure. Anything else?" She stood up waiting for further instructions as she played with Brittany's fingers. She never found any enjoyment from unnecessary touching but, this she liked. She couldn't wait to play with the rest of Brittany. But that would definitely have to wait.

"Yes. Bring me some clothes and stuff. Wait, I'm not asking for too much, am I?" she asked nervously.

"No, it's fine. I'd love to meet Lord Tubbington." Santana reassured her.

From there, Brittany gave Santana instructions and thanked her nonstop. Santana was about to leave but was hesitant to leave Brittany alone. Logically she knew that nothing would happen to Brittany but she couldn't forget that her ex was nowhere to be found. Santana told Brittany about her reluctance to leave.

"San, I'll be fine. There's a police officer standing outside the door, an armed police officer. I like that you care about me but I don't want to be the cause of any stress for you. Don't worry."

"I'm not stressing. I'm just making sure my date for the winter gala is safe. Well, compromise?"

"Sure." Brittany rolled her eyes.

"How about I ask Quinn to keep you company while I'm gone?"

"You trust me and Quinn alone together?" Brittany arched an eyebrow remembering how worried Santana seemed that Quinn would embarrass her.

"I honestly trust you more than I trust Quinn." she laughed.

"If it'll make you feel better, I wouldn't mind getting to know Quinn better. She seems great. Who knows? Maybe she'll give me some tips on how to deal with you."

"Hmm, we'll see." she conceded as she moved in to give Brittany a kiss on her temple. "One for the road. I'll be back, Britt. Call me if anything." She leaned again to kiss her cheek. "Last one." she leaned in again, "I promise, last one." She gave Brittany one last kiss.

With a huge grin on her face, Brittany turned to face Santana. "That had better not be the last one, doctor!"

"You just wait and see, Britt." Santana smugly replied.

She walked out of that room confident that she and Brittany were headed in the right direction. She didn't really know what direction that might be but it felt too good to be wrong. She pulled out her phone as she stepped into the elevator to call Quinn.

"Hey, Quinn" Santana cheerily greeted.

"_Yes, Lopez. What do you want_"

"Favor."

"_Another? Shit, you go ten years without asking me for anything then all of sudden you can't stop._"

"Shut up. I've done a shit ton for you and the Keebler Elf you married. I'm running an errand for Brittany and I don't want to leave her alone. I'm worried something might happen to her."

"_You're already whipped. Nice. All right, I got it. I'm on my way._"

"Thanks, Fabray."

Santana hung up and headed towards her car. It was a tiny coupé. She thought of how she'd get Brittany to her house in this car. Maybe she could ask Quinn to borrow her SUV. She felt bad about asking her for so many favor. Maybe she could just rent one for the day. She plugged in the address into her GPS and was on her way.

It wasn't too far away from her own apartment. Maybe she could stop by her own place to freshen up but decided against it. She didn't want to be apart from Brittany for too long. She groaned out loud. They've barely know each other and she's already suffering from separation anxiety.

"Actually, maybe it's not so bad." she said to herself as the GPS announced her destination would be on her right in approximately three minutes.

She pulled up in front of a beautiful four-story apartment building. It wasn't elegant and cold like her apartment building, it was beautiful and inviting. She opened the door to the front entrance to see a big, broad-shouldered man in a suit sitting at the front desk. He was just the type of security anyone would want, scary and daunting.

"Hello, welcome to Palo Verde. How may I help you?" he greeted with a surprisingly non-intimidating voice.

"Hi, I'm Santana Lopez. Brittany Pierce, 4E, should've called ahead for me." she slid her identification across the desk for the guard to check.

He took her ID and copied her name down on the guest log-in sheet. "Yes, she did. Is she going to be all right? I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt her. She's always so, so, bright. When the police came to ask questions about that guy, I couldn't help but to feel guilty. Maybe I should've been more alert? She's always such a sweetheart and never comes without leaving me a chocolate bar and a smile. For someone to put her through all that, it's ridiculous." he sighed.

"I understand how you feel. No one deserves that, especially not her. But thankfully, she'll be fine but she won't be here while she recovers. She'll be staying at a friend's." she didn't want to tell him she was staying with her, just in case.

"Oh, that's good. She's been here a little over a month and has never gotten any visits. I didn't think she had time for any friend's. I'm glad to hear that. All righty, Doctor Lopez, I'll let you be on your way. Please tell Brittany that I wish for her to get well soon. Oh, it's the fourth floor, on your left."

"Will do." she walked to the elevators and called it. She pulled out her phone when it vibrated.

_1 New Message Brittany_

_Don't forget to tell Tubbs that his mommy loves him! And, hide his cigarettes! _

Santana couldn't help but to laugh out loud at Brittany's text. She quickly responded that she's an expert at hiding things and that she'll even give him a hug for her. She stood in front the door marked 4E wondering what would be on the other side of the door. Shaking herself from her thoughts she slipped the key into the lock and unlocked it so she could open the door.

First thing she noticed was the immediate feeling of home she felt. The living room was the first thing she saw. Two sofas overflowing with pillows. The small coffee table had a couple of books on it and bag of candy. As she walked in farther in the apartment, she noticed all the dish towels with dancing cows and brightly colored magnets on the stainless steel fridge. This was a stark difference from her place. This place looked like a home, her place was cold and uninviting.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a meow behind her. Slowly she turned around to see what could possibly be cutest cat she has ever seen. He's perfectly plump. She could see why Brittany was so taken with him. She leaned down and scratched behind his ear, making him purr.

"Aw, aren't you just the cutest! I think you'll get along fabulously with Señor Tequila. All right, let's go feed you and clean your litter box." she gave him one last scratch and got up. Brittany told her his food was in the kitchen under the sink. That prompted a story about how she would only feed him human food in high school but he gained so much weight, he had to be put on Atkins. Santana didn't know if she was joking but it did make for a hilarious story. She opened the cabinet door and there it was, Lord Tubbington's diet control food. She picked the bag up and poured some into the bowl that was at the end of the kitchen counter.

She quickly cleaned out his litter box and moved on to what Santana dreaded most: packing Brittany's clothes. She was a nervous to go rifling through her clothes, especially the panty drawer. Brittany told her to pick whatever for her so that's what she was going to do. She walked down the hallway to the Brittany's bedroom. It even smelled like her. She was momentarily tempted to lay down on her bed and take in her smell but decided against it; just a bit too out there for Santana. She pulled out an extra duffel back from Brittany's closet, exactly where Brittany said it'd be. By the time she finished, she was pretty sure she over-packed but she thought it was better to have more than not enough. She then ran to the bathroom and grabbed what Brittany needed from there.

She was done. She found Lord Tubbington to say good-bye to him. She couldn't resist so she picked him up and took a picture of the two of them. She quickly sent it to Brittany with a caption:_ We miss you!_

"Bye, Lord Tubbington. See you tomorrow" she told the cat and left. She made sure she locked the door twice before leaving. She made sure to say bye to the big guy at the front desk. She might've sped back to the hospital if anything but if anything, she would use her new friend to hook it up. She would be a bit hesitant to use her for that since it might make Brittany uncomfortable. Brittany didn't have anything to worry about. Santana fucked Nichole and it literally did nothing for her. Brittany really didn't have anything to worry about. She power-walked to Brittany's room to find her napping while Quinn watched the news.

"Hey, how is she?" Santana whispered as she set down the duffel bag down and went over to brush some of Brittany's bangs from her face. She stood there gently caressing Brittany's cheek.

Quinn couldn't help but smile at Santana's display of affection. She had only seen her act like that around her kids, it warmed her heart to see Santana be that way with someone else.

"Her ribs started to bother her so Tina authorized another dosage. She kept asking about you. 'Oh, is Santana allergic to anything? What's her favorite food? What size shoe is she? Are her boobs real? What's her dog like? How good is she in bed?'" Quinn calmly listed.

Santana's head shot up at the last question. "What?"

"Just kidding, but she did ask some weird questions. I don't know if you've ever eaten a bull's testicle, what kind of question is that?" She scrunched her face as she stood up. "Well, you're here. I'm leaving. Bye."

"All right, I'm taking the rest of this week off, by the way. Send the kids and Rachel my love. Thanks again, Quinn. Love you." Santana blew a kiss at her

Santana sat down next to Brittany and covered her hand with hers. She looked up at Brittany. Now that she was sleeping, she was able to really take Brittany in. Her lips were beginning to scab, Santana made a mental note to bring her something for that. Her cheek was bruised and swollen and there was another gash on her eyebrow that was guaranteed to scar. There was some residue of dried blood in her hair but still, Brittany had to be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. There was an ephemeral glow about her. She couldn't wait until Brittany healed to see all of her in her natural state.

She leaned up and gave her another kiss on the temple, ready to take a nap too.


	6. Chapter 6

"You missed. Again." Brittany sleepily complained. "My lips are over here." she puckered her lips with her eyes still closed, her voice still heavy with sleep.

Santana laughed at Brittany's adorable attempts to steal a kiss. Tempting, extremely tempting, but she knows it'd be too soon. She knows it'll change the game. "I am well aware of where your lips are, Miss Pierce. Go to sleep. If you're lucky, I might give you what you want in the morning." Santana kissed the back of Brittany's hand.

With a resounding yawn, Brittany turns to face the doctor. "But I don't want to sleep since you're here again. I want to talk to you instead. I missed you." She struggled to keep her eyes open.

"You need to sleep. I need you to sleep. I don't think you've been getting enough sleep." Santana feels a little guilty that she's been keeping Brittany awake when she should be resting. She feels like a kid with a new toy. She's excited to play with Brittany all the time. Except, she knows the novelty of playing with Brittany won't ever wear off.

"I'll sleep tomorrow when you go back home." Brittany futilely tried to argue.

"I won't be gone for that long. Sleep tonight and I'll be all yours tomorrow. I'll go home when they come in and do breathing exercises with you so you won't have to be alone."

Brittany fights to keep her eyes open and holds out her pinky. "You promise?"

"Absolutely." Santana answers as she locks their pinkies and places soft kisses on Brittany's knuckles. She holds her lips to Brittany's knuckles as she watches her eyes finally flutter close. "Now, go to sleep, Britt." She softly says, letting her eyes linger on Brittany. She can't believe that Brittany has changed her so much so fast; it's entirely unreal. She can't wait to see how Brittany will keep changing her life.

"One more kiss?" Brittany requests with a slight slur from sleep.

Santana playfully sighs but gives Brittany one last kiss to her cheek. "Sweet dreams, Britt-Britt."

"Good night, Sanny. Good night. Don't leave, okay? I don't want to be alone. I'm scared he'll come back. He's always comes back." She says in an incredibly small voice.

Santana's heart clenches at the sound of Brittany's voice. The fear in her voice yet again reminds Santana of what Brittany's gone through. It reminds her of how much she is willing to do to protect Brittany. She'll do whatever it takes. "I'm not going anywhere."

Content with seeing Brittany fall asleep, she lets herself succumb to sleep knowing that she'll need to be at her best from now on for Brittany.

/

"Saaaan" Santana feels something tugging on her hand waking her up. "Psssst, Sanny."

"Yes, Brittany?" Santana croaks with her eyes still closed.

"I have to pee. Can you help me?"

"Ughh, what time is it?" she wipes the sleep from her eyes and lets them adjust to the light.

"It's pee thirty." Brittany deadpanned. "No, I don't know but I really do have to pee. I haven't wet the bed since I was six, hurry up!"

Santana looks down at her watch as she stands up. "It's nine fifteen. Hey, we slept through the night. Good job, Britt." She holds out her hand so Brittany can support her weight on her. "Just take it nice and slow, all right?"

"Tell that to my bladder, San." Brittany slowly lets both of her feet touch the ground. "Thanks, Santana."

After Santana helps Brittany pee, the nurse walks in shortly after to help Brittany do her breathing exercises and change her bandages. Santana thinks it's the perfect time to go home and get Brittany breakfast. The nurse tells her that Dr. Cohen Chang will be dropping by soon to check how Brittany's incision and ribs are healing so she'll have enough time. As Santana tells Brittany that she would be back soon she goes to give Brittany a peck on the cheek but Brittany moves at the last second to try to catch Santana's lips. But Santana was quick enough to catch on to what Brittany was doing.

"Britt! You're so sneaky, babe." Santana laughed as she kissed Brittany's hand, ignoring her leathal pout. "I'll be back. With breakfast."

Santana walked out and waved at Officer Puckerman as she made her way to the elevators. She was no longer expecting an angry ambush in the elevator, if she did get ambushed she didn't care. She had Brittany. She kinda' had Brittany. Well, she assumed she had her. More or less. But she wasn't going to do that whole over-processing nonsense people do; she was already too much of a stereotype. She thought back to last night when Brittany said she was scared. How much longer before Brittany could have peace of mind? What would Santana have to do to help Brittany have that peace of mind? Santana just hoped that Brittany would let her be there for her and not push her away again. If she did push her away again, Santana would push right back.

Before she knew it, she was pulling into her building's parking garage. There was a guard at the entrance but she had a passkey so she didn't have to check in. She wondered if anyone could get into the garage without him noticing. Even if someone were to slip by him, they wouldn't be able to get through the front entrance because there was another guard there. Perhaps they could get through the service entrance, she thought as she looked towards the service doors.

With a smile and a nod at her door man, she headed towards the elevators. She never noticed the lack, in her opinion, of security cameras. That would have to change. She needed security to have every inch of the building on camera in case anything should happen. She never cared before but now she had Brittany to worry about.

"I'm just being paranoid." she muttered to herself as she stepped off the elevator. She looked around before unlocking her door. She heard the miniature barking of her little chihuahua, the only thing in her apartment that made this space seemingly liveable. She picked up Tequila and looked around her apartment. Brittany's place was quaint and homey, everything her place wasn't. Maybe she could make it seem not so cold before Brittany gets there? Or maybe Brittany herself would be what make her apartment homey.

She set Tequila down then quickly showered and got dressed. Jeans and a button down, nothing too fancy but nice enough that hopefully it'll make a better impression than her blue scrubs. She didn't really know what Brittany would like to eat but she figured pancakes and french toast would be a safe bet. She never really cooked for anyone other than herself, she never needed to. But she liked the thought of cooking for Brittany. Hopefully she'd liked it. She finished cooking quicker than she imagined she would so she wasn't in that much of a rush to get back. She packed her things and said a quick bye to her dog and made her way back to the hospital.

By the time she returned, Officer Puckerman wasn't at the door anymore. Instead there was another tall guy. Shift change, she presumed. "Hello, I figured Officer Puckerman needed to be relieved sooner or later. I'm Santana Lopez, I'm a doctor here but I'm only here as a friend." she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Lopez. I'm Will Schuester." the new officer responded.

"I like you better than Puckerman already. Keep it that way." Santana opened the door and saw Brittany laying on her left side. She grimaced at how painful it probably was but knew Brittany needed to apply pressure to her ribs to prevent fluid build-up in the lungs. "Hey, Britt. I brought breakfast."

Brittany slowly turned on her onto her back and faced her. "Whatcha' bring, Sanny?" Brittany asked with a big, bright smile. Even in the hospital after painful physical therapy, Brittany was still beautiful.

"Well, I brought you some pancakes and french toast. I hope that's all right. I can run out and buy you something else if you'd like." she pulled out the Tupperware from her bag and set it on the tray for Brittany to eat.

"This looks great, San. What are you going to eat?" She asks as she grabs a fork and a knife and slowly began to cut into her pancakes.

"I'm actually not that hungry." Santana says as she sits down in her chair.

"I've not seen you eat properly, Santana. I don't like it." Brittany sits up and slowly brings her leg over the side of the bed, moving the tray back in front of her.

"Britt, what are you doing? Do you need anything? What's wrong?" Santana worriedly gets up ready to hand her whatever she may need.

"I need for you to sit next me. Right here," Brittany pats the space next to her, "and eat with me."

"No, I'm fine. I told you, I'm not that hungry. Eat."

Brittany pouts and pats the space next to her again. "Please." Santana can't say 'no' to that pout. She doesn't say anything but she sits down next to Brittany. "Good girl. See, this way I can do something for you. You know, since you've done everything for me." she lifts a forkful of pancake to Santana's lips.

Santana accepts the pancakes and gives herself a mental pat on the back because they were delicious. "You don't have to do anything for me." She told Brittany after she finished chewing and kissed her shoulder. "Everything I've done for you so far, I'd do again in a heart beat. No questions asked. I want to do it for you. If there's anyone that deserves it, it's you. Like I said, you don't have to do anything for me." Santana sincerely told Brittany. She was being selfless for once in her life and it just felt right.

"I don't have to but I wanna. I really do." Brittany says before she takes a bite of the french toast. "This is really good, baby." She excitedly compliments Santana.

Santana's cheek flush when she hears Brittany call her 'baby' but hardly has anytime to react because Brittany's already practically shoveling more food in her mouth. When she looks at Brittany, she looks like a cute, little squirrel with all the food in her mouth. Santana's a little worried that Brittany might choke but finds it too adorable to do anything about it. Her heart flutters and her stomach does cartwheels whenever Brittany feeds her. She feels just a tad like an adult-size baby, especially since Brittany started making choo-choo noises when she feeds her but she can't bring herself to care. Every time she feels Brittany's thumb brush across her bottom lip when she wipes away imaginary crumbs, it further proves that there's no place else she rather be.

And, that's how they started their routine. When the doctors and nurses stopped by in the mornings, Santana would go home and make breakfast. She would also stop by Brittany's apartment to check up on Lord Tubbington and of course take a picture for Brittany's sake. Santana would go back to the hospital, arriving just in time to see Brittany finish her breathing exercises. Then Brittany would pout and spoon-feed Santana. Santana wasn't complaining. She really wasn't.

They did everything together. It's not like they had much of a choice. Brittany was holed up in the hospital and didn't want to be left alone and Santana didn't want to leave her alone. They spent the next couple of days in their little love connection bubble.

"So are you excited?" Brittany asked Santana as they were both laying down on her bed. She was lying on her bad ribs while she laid her head on Santana's shoulder while Santana had her arm around her. Being that close to Santana somehow lessened the pain she was feeling on her ribs. Laying like this went against Santana's best judgment but her judgment didn't stand a chance against Brittany.

Gently stroking Brittany's arm, "Excited for what, Britt-Britt?"

"In just two short days, you get to go home with a beautiful well, usually beautiful, dancer." Brittany leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Santana's neck. That was the extent of their physical intimacy. It was torture for them but Santana was really adamant about doing things the right way. She was hoping to have "the right way" figured out before she took Brittany home but that was only about 48 hours away. "I'm excited. I know you and I have talked about everything we could possibly talk about – also, you shouldn't really talk about the women you've fucked with the girl you're currently trying to fuck. It's in bad taste. But I-"

"Okay, so maaaaybe in hindsight I shouldn't have told you about that but, I'm not trying to fuck you." Brittany lifted herself from Santana's chest to raise an eyebrow. "Doing that with you would be nice but that's not the only reason I'm here with you. If I just wanted to smash, I could easily hit up a few girls here in the hospital." Saying that earned her a scowl. "Buuut since I've been with you all day, everyday you know that I haven't done that. I don't want to do that with anyone else." she tried to backpedal.

"Well, you did fool around with Nichole..." the blonde points out.

"And now, she and I are basically best friends."

"Best friends?" Brittany suspiciously asks. When did they have time to be best friends? Nichole moves fast when she's trying to have sex but doesn't move fast when she has to catch Sam, Brittany bitterly thought.

"Yeah, totally. She texts me every now and then."

"You're not helping your case right now, Santana. But, I'll ignore it. As I was saying," Brittany once again rested her head on Santana's shoulder. "we know quite a lot about one another and everything, but soon I'll be in your territory. You go to my house everyyyyday, now it's my turn to be on your turf. I get to see that much more of Santana's world."

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that. My house isn't all that big of a deal. Just a whole bunch of leather and chrome. I am, however, excited for you to meet my dog. I've told him a lot about you. I think he and Tubbs would get along."

"Well, still. I get to sleep in your bed, sit on your couch, cook in your kitchen, I get to do all this stuff in your space."

"Are you trying to psych me out? Because it won't work. I am excited for you to see a different part of my world but I'm even more excited that you'll be a part of it." she kissed the crown of Brittany's head.

Brittany slightly swooned, "Aren't you a smooth talker, Lopez?"

"That I am. That I am, Britt. But, now if you'll excuse me, I have to use the restroom." She kissed Brittany's forehead and carefully got up from the bed trying not to move too much and bother Brittany. "I'll be right back. It was all the orange juice you made me drink at breakfast."

"Hey, it's good for you. It has like vitamins and stuff. You should know, you're the one that went to med school." Santana just agreed and went to pee. Just a few more days and she could take Brittany home. It would be the first time she takes someone back home and not have sex. But, they hadn't had sex anyway so it really wouldn't change a thing. They could just be more comfortable and not in a hospital room. She can just picture it now: cuddled up in front of her fireplace, smoking a cigar while Brittany sips on a glass of wine and seductively caresses her thigh with Tequila and Tubbs on either side of them. Perfect. But she figured Brittany wouldn't like Santana smoking and Brittany can't be drinking alcohol anytime soon. And, she doesn't have a fireplace. So, she's back to cuddling with Brittany with their pets. Still perfect.

She's at the sink trying to put some of her stray hair back in place. She wants to look good for Brittany. She hears some murmuring on the other side of the door. She finished drying off her hands and opened the door. The first thing she saw were Brittany's eyes, they were wide and red and she had tears streaming down her face. She was terrified. Santana never thought she'd ever have to see Brittany like that. Santana promised her she wouldn't ever have to be that afraid again. When Santana followed Brittany's eyes, she realized what Brittany was looking at.

Sam.

Santana's pulse started racing and her breathing quickened. Where was Puckerman? How'd he get in? Maybe it wasn't Sam. She looked at Brittany again and the look on her face left no doubt; it was Sam.

"You can leave. I can take care of her." Sam gruffed at Santana after he noticed she was standing there. "You can stop playing house now." He started walking towards Brittany.

Brittany was already standing behind the bed looking at Sam. Santana didn't know what to do. She panicked. She knows she can't take Sam but she just can't leave them alone while she gets help. When she hears Brittany whimpers, her instincts kick into action and she runs after him catching him by surprise tackling him to the ground before he could reach Brittany.

"GO, Brittany! Get Puck!" she yells after Brittany as she grabs Sam by his hair and slams his face against the ground. She feels him stop struggling. She jumps off him and heads after Brittany, she can hear Brittany yell for help. Before she can reach the door, she gets yanked back to the floor by her hair.

Sam stands over her, his eyebrow is bleeding into his eye. He bends down to pick her up by the throat. "Brittany will always be mine, Doctor Lopez." He stares her straight in the eyes. He backhands her before throwing her on the ground and running out of the room.

Brittany.

She pushes off the floor and tries to steady herself but her head is throbbing, her eyesight is blurred, and everything is spinning. She finally makes it to the door and sees Brittany standing by Belinda, her nurse for today. Brittany sees her and rushes over to her, hugging her as tight as she can, ignoring the pain from overstretching her sutures. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." Brittany says between sobs. "I shouldn't have left you. I should've stayed. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Santana doesn't say anything. She loosens her grip on Brittany so she can look into her eyes. She has trouble looking at her, partly because of the pain and partly because of the tears in her eyes. Without saying anything, she leans forwards and presses her lips against Brittany's. She doesn't move. She waits for Brittany to react and when she does, nothing else matters. Not her blinding headache, not her throbbing neck, nothing. Just Brittany perfectly moving her lips against hers. When they finally pull apart, Santana leans her forehead against Brittany's. "You're coming home with me tonight. No arguments. And don't apologize. Never apologize for something he did. I would do it again in a second for you, Britt. In a heartbeat." She whispers and gives Brittany another peck on the lips.

They pull apart when Officer Puckerman rushes back into the hallway, asking what happened.

"What happened? Are you fucking kidding me?" she charges at him but Brittany is quick to pull her back. "You had one job to do, Puckerman. Catch it, ONE. To keep Brittany's ex away from her. Do you wanna guess who just so happened to show up in her room?" Having Brittany around her did calm her down a bit but she was still seething. "You're lucky you're in uniform right now. Actually, you know what? You'll be lucky if you have a job by the end of the day." She threatened as she gently tugged at Brittany's hand to lead her back to her room.

"Lay down, Britt. Let me check your incision." Santana disinfects her hands with the hand sanitizer by the gloves. She puts on her gloves and turns around to see Brittany still standing up. "All right, I'll check it standing it up but really, you should lay down. Are your ribs sore?"

Brittany ignores her question and holds Santana's shoulder, steadying her. "San, you're bleeding. Your cheek is bleeding. And you're having trouble balancing yourself. Can you sit down for a sec? And call someone to check on you. Please? For me, at least. I feel bad enough as it is." Brittany looks at Santana trying not to completely break down in front of Santana.

"Hey, no. Don't feel bad. None of this was your fault. None of it." Santana wraps her arms around Brittany and nuzzles into her neck.

"How can you say that? If you had never had met me, you wouldn't be struggling to walk and you wouldn't be bleeding. Of course it is my fault." Her voice breaks and she begins to sob again.

"If I hadn't met you, I would have never been this happy. I'm just dizzy, it'll go away. My face? It's fine. I'm fine. After you let me check your sutures, I'll call Quinn so she can check it out. All right? I'll ask her to bring her mom-mobile so you'll be comfortable during the ride. It works out fine." Brittany just nodded and undid her shirt for Santana, after she stepped back. "Sweetie, you popped a few. Lay down." Santana takes her gloves off and throws them away. "I can't fix it, especially not now. I'll call Tina and let her know what happened. She has to sign off on your discharge anyway."

"Call Quinn first." Brittany sternly looks at Santana to let her know she's serious.

"Okay, Britt." Santana calls Quinn and lets her know what happens. Luckily, she was at home and was able to be at the hospital soon. She also calls Tina to inform her that Brittany will be signing out sooner than planned and that she needs her sutures fixed.

While waiting on Tina and Quinn, Santana cleans her face and changes her shirt. It'll bruise pretty rough but the scratch is minimal. The bruising around her neck was already prominent. This was one time she had to deal with this. Brittany dealt with this for years. She can't dwell on it, all she can do now is try harder to make sure it doesn't happen to Brittany again. She sits down next to Brittany who has remained silent, when Nichole walks in.

"Nichole, what happened? Please tell him you guys caught him." Santana says as she holds on to Brittany's hand.

Nichole sighs and shakes her head. "No. We have footage of him leaving the hospital heading east but that's all we've had time to do as of yet."

"Fuck! He could've hurt Brittany. Seriously hurt her again. You need to fire that Puckerman. He wasn't there at the door. Obviously he wasn't. And because of him, Brittany's sutures opened and over-exerted her ribs. She just had her spleen removed, there could've been serious repercussions. If you don't fire him, I sure as hell will have no problem throwing money around at the right people so he does get fired. Handle it, Nichole." Santana raised her voice at Nichole.

"Santana, calm down for a second."

"Don't tell me to calm down, Nichole. If I hadn't been there, who knows what would've happened to Brittany. It hurts to even think of what could have happened. Fuck! All Puckerman had to do was stand guard. All he had to do was deter Sam with his presence but he wasn't there."

"We'll find him. Just give us some time." Nichole apologetically said. There wasn't much else she could tell them.

"Do whatever. I don't care. Brittany's leaving tonight so no more piece of shit cops have to stand around doing nothing. I'm sure Will wouldn't have let this shit happened. You can go now, Nichole. Go before I say something to you that I'll regret. Just, handle it."

Nichole left without saying anything.

"San, sit down." She waits for Santana to sit down. "You know that I'm not Nichole's biggest fan but you were a little harsh. Just breathe and relax for me, baby. Please." Brittany pleaded. Santana hurt her head and she was afraid her anger would make things worse.

"I know but I was so scared, Britt. I could've lost you. I could've lost after I just got you." Santana's voice breaks as tears escape. Her anger and yelling were helping her not to cry but it just got to be too much for her to handle. She went to having no one and being alone to having Brittany all day, every day. She couldn't lose her. When she saw Brittany's eyes overflowing with fear in front of Sam, she knew that losing her was a possibility. She didn't want that.

"But you didn't lose me. I'm right here, honey. I'm here because you saved me."

Quinn walked in to see both of them crying. "House call." They both looked up and looked at Quinn. "Did someone call for a doctor?" She asked jokingly trying to take their mind of what just happened.

"Yeah, I would like you to make sure that Sanny's beautiful face will stay beautiful. She was all dizzy and walking funny. He hit her and I think she banged her head. And check her neck. It looks horrible." Brittany told Quinn as she gently caressed Santana's good cheek.

"Britt, I'm fine. But don't worry, Quinn come over here to check me anyway. She needs the practice anyway." Santana smirked and kissed Brittany's palm. She turned toward Quinn as she wiped her tears.

"Shut up, and look straight ahead." Quinn flashed a light to check for retinal activity. She also looked at Santana's scratch. "You're fine. I'll stick a butterfly on it and you'll be fine. But you'll need to make an appointment with your hair dresser because some of your extensions are on the floor. But it was time for some new tracks, anyway." she pointed toward some hair on the floor by the door.

"Fuck." she put her hands in her hair to feel her links. "Insult to fucking injury." she mutters. "Aaand, you know what? They aren't 'tracks', Fabgay. I'm a doctor, I have 'links'." Santana quickly corrected Quinn.

Brittany tried to hold in laughter as she sits up and kisses Santana's cheek. "Baby, don't worry. You still look gorgeous." She leans in more and kisses Santana on the lips. Gently at first but then she deepens the kiss. She flicks her tongue against Santana's lip and as soon as she's about to slip in her tongue, she hears someone clearing their throat.

"Oh, Doctor Cohen Chang." Brittany flushes and looks away.

"Thanks, Tina. Thanks a whole lot. Okay, just fix her stitches or authorize Quinn to do it and then sign off on her discharge. She's staying with me, so don't worry." Santana politely demanded. Well, as politely as she could.

"Quinn can do it. I just want to go back home. No offense, Miss Pierce. The nurses told me what happened. She'll be fine with you. You are a doctor, after all. And she might actually be safer with you. I'm sure someone that owns her own building could figure how to keep her girlfriend safe." Tina completely ignores the looks on everyone's face. "I just wanted to keep her here just in case. She also didn't have an emergency contact so I figured she'd be alone during recovery but now that she can stay with you, she can leave. I'll have the nurse bring in her paperwork. I hope I never see you in this hospital again, Miss Pierce." Tina smiled and left.

"Wait, you own your building?"

"Yeah, between being a surgeon for a few years, a few choice investments, and a trust fund I bought a small building. What can I say? There's money in real estate." She stood up and ran her finger over her throat. It was getting even more sore. "Okay, Quinn will fix you up while I pack our stuff. Then Quinn will bring her car around to the exit while the nurse brings your paperwork. After I will wheel you down and Quinn will drive my car to my house. Good? Okay, break!" She clapped her hands together and began to put everything together.

"Wait, why do we need Quinn's car?" she asks as she opens her shirt for Quinn to look at her stitches.

"I have a sports car, I didn't think you'd be comfortable but if you want, we can try?" She explained and then turned to Quinn, "Quinn, don't fuck it up. I want her scar to be invisible. Running locked, bitch." She glared and pointed at her.

"I don't want to put her out of the way. And, babe, she has a needle to my skin and is about to use a different needle to stitch me up, could you not be mean to her now?"

"Brittany, don't worry. Those are our words of love and affection. It's been like that since high school. I swear it was just on Tuesday that I had to slap some sense into her." Brittany gasps. "It was just a little love tap. Don't worry." Quinn put down the syringe and now how to wait.

"Yeah, don't worry. She hit me with a rolled up magazine in the cafeteria too. It's fine. I've punched her for a lot less. Never in front of the kids though." Santana shrugged her as she looked over Quinn's shoulder checking her work.

"Go get our stuff ready, San. Gee,what did I get myself into?" Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Okay, you're all stitched up. It'll be just a tiny bit sore after the anesthetic wears off. Don't lift anything at all. You should've been on bed rest, your ribs could've waited. You're young and in shape, you aren't that high at risk of pneumonia. But anyway, doctor's orders." Quinn disposed of everything in the bio-hazard bin and disinfected her hands with the hand sanitizer.

"I'm dating a doctor and her best friend is a doctor. This is better than any insurance that I know of." Brittany bragged as she buttoned her shirt up.

"Dating, huh?" Quinn teased.

"Not yet. But, trust me, I will be. I've never felt like this about anyone before. And having her want to be with me after knowing about my ex, makes me appreciate her that much more. Quinn, she tackled him when he was walking toward me. Tiny, little Santana tackled a grown ass man. She's literally risked her life for me. I mean, you've seen my medical file, you know what he's done to me. Yet, she still saved me and she still wants to be with me. She's perfect. She was a little slutty, has a temper, and awkward at times but she's perfect. I can see myself falling for her. I really can. I just need Sam to go to hell already."

"He will, Brittany. I promise you, he will." Santana voice came from behind Quinn. "Tomorrow first thing, I'm calling someone. And when we get home, I'm telling them to close off the other exits making the front entrance the only way to get into the building. You'll be safe. I'll get Lord Tubbington tomorrow and the rest of your stuff. I don't want you going to your apartment until he's been caught. I can't protect you there."

"I don't know what to say." She shook her head in disbelief. Santana's just too good to her. Maybe she'll change overnight almost like Sam did. She didn't think Sam would ever hit her but he did. Santana wouldn't do that to her. She wouldn't.

"Then don't say anything." Santana repeated Brittany's words from earlier, bringing her out of her thoughts.

The nurse came shortly after with Brittany's discharge papers and sent in a wheel chair. Santana pushed Brittany out with her duffel bag on her back, completely ignoring Puckerman's apologies as they left. She was actually incredibly surprised that he was still there.

They finally made their way to Santana's car after deciding that they didn't need to borrow Quinn's SUV. Santana was still a bit reluctant but it turns out that Brittany really like Santana's tiny car.

"How long until my ribs heal?" Brittany asked as she ran her fingers over the Italian leather interior of the car.

"Not anytime soon. Why? You got someone to cover your classes, right?" Santana asked confused because she was sure she heard Brittany making arrangements for that.

"Oh, yes, of course. I just wanted to know how long before we can have car sex."

"Brittany!" Santana couldn't believe what she heard. Good thing she was stopped at a stop sign because had it been otherwise, she most likely would've caused an accident.

"What?" Brittany innocently asks as she runs her fingers down Santana's thigh.

Santana shudders as she brings down her hand to hold Brittany's. "I promise it'll be worth the wait." she brings up her hand to kiss her knuckles. "Plus, I need you to be at your best if you have any chance to keep up with me."

"Oh, really?" Brittany asks as they pull into the parking garage.

"Yup, we're here. C'mon, babe."

Santana hurriedly but carefully sat Brittany down in her wheelchair and rolled up to her penthouse while making small talk. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you." she said as she pushed open her door. She rolled Brittany in the living room while her dog was barking at the stranger. Santana picked him up and formally introduced the two. Brittany was immediately enamored and wanted to carry him but Tequila jumped out of her lap before she really got to bond with him.

"Okay, it's kinda' late and I'm sure you're tired. I'll give you the tour tomorrow and I already set up the guest room for you. I'll set you stuff in the bathroom for you, okay?" Santana carried the bags to Brittany's temporary room.

"Wait, I'm not sleeping with you?" She titled her head tilted and knitted her eyebrows. They had been basically sleeping together since forever ago, why stop now?

"Um, don't you think it's too soon?" Santana walked back to Brittany and set her bags down.

"The last four nights you've slept with me in the hospital and then I laid on you for literally the entire day when we were awake. What's changed?"

"It's my bed..." Santana let out.

"Oh, I get it. You don't want me in _your _bed until I'm ready to fuck. That's fine. Show me the guest room, please." Brittany said with indifference and a shrug as she tried rolling away.

"No, it's not that. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I thought you'd be uncomfortable knowing that I've slept with so many people in that bed." Santana rushed out while stopping Brittany.

"You're hilarious. Big deal. Like, I said, we have all our slut stages. You don't think I've had sex with other people. I got around too. Actual-."

"No, no, no, I rather not know who you've slept with. I don't want to think of you with anyone else." Santana held up her hand for Brittany to stop talking. She really didn't want to think of her Britt-Britt being with anyone else.

"But I shouldn't have a problem with you being besties with Nichole? I see." Brittany quipped back.

"No, it's, ughh. I really, really like you. I've never liked anyone before and you're already mine and I'm already yours. I wanted a fresh start with you. And that fresh starts includes ignoring the fact you've had sex with others because I want you all to myself." Santana kept motioning between them, trying to emphasize her point. She wasn't expecting to have this conversation in the middle of her living room on her first night back.

"Okay. So what does that have to do with me sleeping in your bed?"

"I've had sex in that bed. Like with other people." Santana says in a slight whisper as if it were a secret.

"And..." Brittany said not really understanding what Santana was trying to get at.

"I already ordered a new mattress."

Which caused Brittany to break out in laughter, only stopping when her ribs hurt too much. "Santana, shut up and take me to bed." She started to roll herself down the hall again.

"You don't care?" She stood there watching Brittany roll away.

"San! I wanted you to fuck me in your car not ten minutes ago, do you really think that I care who you've slept with?" Brittany yelled back as she was in front of what she assumed to be Santana's room.

"No?" She questioned, uncharacteristically lacking confidence. Honestly, everything she's done thus far has been out of character for her.

"Not at all. But seriously, you're not going to sleep with anyone anywhere now that I'm sleeping in your bed every night." Santana took that as her cue to catch up to Brittany.

She finished rolling her to the bathroom, where she bent down and kissed the top of Brittany's head. "I wouldn't want to sleep with anyone else."

After both of them had gone through their newly adapted night routine, Santana helped Brittany into bed before getting into bed herself. Brittany shuffled over to Santana and took her other newly adapted night routine of laying her head on Santana's shoulder.

"So, today..." Brittany says into the darkness as she draws shapes under Santana's shirt. First time she did that, her hand just so happened to lay where her shirt rode up. Ever since then, she's been slipping her hand under Santana's shirt.

"Yeah, today. One of the scariest yet best days of my life. I'm glad Quinn came in to distract us. We were a mess and I was, I still am, scared shitless of you getting hurt and I think we needed that. But, I guess we didn't get to process what happened." Santana sighed. She just wanted to get past this. She just wanted Brittany to be able to breath easy again.

"It's not the first time he's snuck into my house or somewhere before. I guess I'm used to it." Santana squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of having Brittany being used to that. "What I'm not used to is having someone I care about getting hurt because of me." Brittany took a deep breath, "I knew it would happen, Santana. I knew it." She stopped drawing shapes and leaned up to kiss Santana's jaw. "I was so scared, baby." Brittany ran her fingers over Santana's throat, careful to not hurt her. She brushed her lips over the side of Santana's neck, letting her lips linger before laying a kiss. "I know I'm being selfish still letting you help me but I don't want to let you go. I can't." Brittany wrapped her arm around Santana's waist and held her as tight as possible.

"Be selfish then. I don't care. Just be selfish with me. We've already come so far so fast, just be selfish. It's pretty fucking ridiculous that less than a week of knowing each other, we're in cuddled up in bed like we've been doing it forever. It's so surreal but I don't care. I've never felt like this before and I don't want to give this up for anything in the world. Be selfish, Britt. I don't care, I just want to be with you."

Brittany let her hold on Santana loose and lifted herself to look into Santana's eyes. "Are you sure, Santana? I'm giving you an out. I know it feels like I'm doing this 'come here, go away' thing but I just don't want you to get hurt. Again."

"I've never been more sure than anything before in my whole life. I'm not leaving until you want me to leave." Santana leaned forward and captured Brittany's lips with hers. She kissed with everything she had because she needed more than anything for Brittany to understand how much she needed Brittany. She brought her hand to Brittany's cheek, bringing her even closer. Brittany kissing her was unlike anything she's ever felt before. There was no way she'd be willing to let Brittany go so easily. Like everything else she did with Brittany, it just felt so right. Slowly, she broke away from Brittany. She waited for Brittany to open her eyes. "I know you felt that. I know you felt what I felt. We can't just let that go. We can't. I'm staying. You're stuck with me, babe. Just like I'm stuck with this scar on my cheek, you're stuck with me." She chuckled a little but Brittany didn't. "Too soon?"

"Just a little. But you're lucky I like you anyway." Brittany laid down on Santana's shoulder again. "We also had a first kiss today. After days of trying to sneak one, I finally got it. And it was nothing like how I imagined. It was better."

"Way better. Just imagine until we can do other things. Prepare to have your mind blown, babe."

"I'm sure by the end of next week, I'll be ready for some under the panties action. But, I'm sleepy. Turn off the light, Sanny." Brittany asked.

Santana reached over to her night table and turned off her bedroom lights using the remote control. "Buenas noches y dulce sueños, bebè." She kissed Brittany's hair, enjoying the feel of having Brittany in her arms again.

"Good night. Thank you. Thank you for everything. I don't think I could thank you enough but I'll be willing to thank you everyday for the rest of my life. Sweet dreams, Sanny."


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Santana woke up deliciously wrapped around Brittany. She lifted her head slightly off Brittany's good shoulder to make sure her arms weren't adding pressure to any of Brittany's injuries. When she was sure she wouldn't aggravate any of Brittany's injuries, she rested her head back on Brittany's shoulder. She doesn't know how early it is but it doesn't matter because there's no where she has to be and no where she rather be than with Brittany's arm around her. She internally groans at her own sappiness.

Focusing on the slight movement of Brittany's chest caused by her shallow breathing, Santana wonders why she has never done this before. She feels so... She actually doesn't know what she feels laying in bed with Brittany because she's never felt like this before. Perhaps she feels inexperienced? Immature? Anxious? Or maybe it's just a good thing? She laughs at herself, it's always good when she's with Brittany.

She's never cuddled with anyone – unless she counts Quinn when she and Rachel broke up for a total of 53 hours, which she doesn't – so this is a whole new ballpark for her. She never knew it could feel this good. Maybe it only feels this good because of Brittany.

This new "relationship" territory she basically pushed herself into with Brittany, she regrets not letting herself get experience at being with someone. That is, she wishes she knew how to be more than just a fuck buddy. For Brittany's sake. Without any experience, she's bound to make a couple mistakes. Mistakes that could really hurt Brittany. Mistakes that could make Brittany leave her.

Hindsight is 20/20 but it happened. She needs to charge it to the game and do what she needs to do to protect Brittany. She thinks back to what happened yesterday and instinctively holds Brittany tighter.

"Wait, too much!" Brittany gasps as she reaches out to grab Santana's arms.

Santana immediately pulls back, "Britt, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry!"

Brittany shakes her head and pulls Santana back into her. "No, it's okay. You scared me more than anything. One minute, I was petting the snake and there was a dingo and then the snake bit me and then I realized it wasn't a python but a tiny, little doctor. It was all very sudden." Brittany explained but smiled gently at Santana. "Can we go back to sleep, San? It's still early, honey."

After leaning up to kiss Brittany's neck, she quietly begins, "I'm sorry I hurt you. I..." She trailed off because she didn't really know how to bring up about what happened yesterday. "I was thinking about yesterday, about how you got hurt and... I just really want you to be okay, Britt. I need you to be okay." Santana said more to herself than to Brittany.

Brittany kissed the crown of Santana's head. "As long as you're with me, I'll be okay. I just know it. I feel it in my bones."

Neither Brittany nor Santana said anything while they were in bed. Santana was thinking about how she needed to call the building's security center and have them arrest all tall, white, blonde men that were near the building. While Brittany silently prayed that Santana would never get hurt again.

"I have to go get LT and some groceries. I totally don't have enough food for you." Santana announced, breaking the silence while shifting to look at Brittany.

"Can I go with you?"

"No. I don't want you to leave the house building until Sam gets arrested." Instantly Brittany pouts.

"Oh, no. Oh, no, you don't. Britt, as a doctor, I need you to keep the walking to a minimum. Unless you're walking to different parts of the house, you need to be laying or sitting down, occasionally leaning into the pain." She pauses to sit up and gives Brittany a kiss on her forehead. "But as someone who really cares about you, I need you to be safe. I don't trust anything I can't control. The only thing I can control right now is here. If you're here, I can keep people out. If you're not here, you're fair game and that shit doesn't fly with me. I need you to be safe." Santana completely understood that Brittany must be going stir crazy but it kept her safe.

"Okay, fine. My purse is somewhere around here. Just grab whatever card or cash to buy whatever you need and whatever I might want. Hint, lots and lots and lots of chocolate." Brittany demanded of Santana while she was getting up.

"Maybe a little bit of chocolate, but I'm not going to take your money, baby." Santana said as she made her way to her closet. "You're my guest. My momma taught me manners. Aaand, you're going to be out of commission for a while so I'm not going to let you spend your money on unnecessary shit. Not if I can help it." Santana stated as she kissed Brittany once more.

"You've been buying me food since day one, you're opening your home to me and you're my personal physician. Aaand, let us not forget about your extensions. I'm sure they're pricey to fix. Maybe you should be saving your money?" Brittany slightly teased.

"Fuck, that's right. I usually go get them touched up whenever Quinn goes to make sure she stays a 'natural blonde'." Santana huffed as she finished putting on her shirt. "Actually, it's fine. I don't need the extensions anymore. I already got the girl, I can let myself go now." She winked at Brittany. She was only kidding. If anything, she would fix her weave to look smokin' just forBrittany.

"Oh, I see how it is. Now that you got me in your bed, there's no more effort?" Brittany replied. She saw that Santana was going to say something but cut her off. "Please, just do it for me." Brittany pulled out the pout she quickly discovered was impossible for Santana to say no to.

Santana knew there was no winning. She'll just take the card and cash and pretend to use them. She finished getting ready and with another kiss from Brittany, she was out the door to bring home a cat and some food.

She took a detour to the security desk to tell them the changes she needed made to the building's security and tried to demand they aggressively, perhaps violently, detain any males that fit Sam's description but was quickly informed of the potential lawsuits. Security suggested that they program the elevators so only those with an access code could even get to her floor.

She authorized all changes and told them to inform the residents that the changes would occur at no cost to them. Santana sped to the closest grocery store. Not only did she already start to miss Brittany – pathetically clingy already, how sad – but she also didn't want to be out in public longer than she needed to be.

Luckily she found parking almost right in front of the small grocery store. She grabbed a cart and made her way down the aisles. She hadn't really done groceries in a while and her supply was dwindling because of Brittany. She usually gets take – out or Quinn drops over some leftovers. She only really cooked when she had her family or friends over but she didn't mind cooking for Brittany. Better safe than sorry, she was throwing one of everything in the cart. As she threw in some pickled beets, she heard a car alarm go off. Her car alarm.

Leaving her cart, she ran outside to see that all the tires of her cute, little Italian coupe had been slashed, her windshield cracked and "BITCH" scratched into the hood.

"Fuck."

She sighed as she ran her hand through her hair and turned off the alarm with her keys. This wasn't the first time her car had been vandalized, she wondered who it could have been this time. Someone with no creativity, obviously, because "bitch" had been played out a while ago. Her favorite had been about a year ago. It was some super hot Australian doctor that was in town for a month long conference and somehow Santana ended up with a couple Australian kisses but then bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, her car had "Slutty Cunt, M.D., FACS" spray painted on the side and a potato in her exhaust pipe.

She called a tow truck and instructed them where to take it and that the shop would pay them since they had her card on file. There wasn't much she could do but since she had to take a cab, she went back in and only bought the necessities. She took a cab to Brittany's apartment and easily collected Lord Tubbington. With a bag of groceries in one hand and an oversized cat in the other, she made her way into her apartment.

"Honey, I'm home." She playfully yelled for Brittany. Knowing that Brittany was waiting for her brought a smile to her face. It was nice to come home to someone for a change. She placed the bag on the kitchen counter and leaned down to hold Lord Tubbington while she introduced him to her dog. Just like she suspected, they took to each other and thus the sniffing began.

She stood up and saw Brittany walking towards her. "Hey, you're late. I'm sure after a hard day of bringing home the bacon, you were supposed to greet me at the door with a kiss." Santana smirked as she loosely wrapped her arm around Brittany's waist.

"Sorry, I was in bed and it took me a little bit to roll out. But I can still give you a kiss if you'd like." Brittany softly said as she gently traced the bruises on Santana's neck.

It was obvious that Brittany felt responsible for what happened by the way she was looking at her. Santana didn't want Brittany to feel bad about what happened; it wasn't her fault. "I'll take anything you want to give me, Britt." She whispered before leaning in to kiss Brittany. They had only kissed a couple times but it still gave her the cliched butterflies in her stomach and made her deliciously delirious.

After they broke apart from their kiss, the made their way back to the kitchen. "Sit down, I'll make you something so you could take your meds. Oh, also, don't lift LT up. It'll be bad for you. Don't lift anything up, actually." Santana began to pull everything out of the bag.

"Ok, doctor." She agreed with an eye roll. "What are we going to eat?" Brittany sat on one of the chrome stools at the kitchen counter.

"Well, since I couldn't get all the groceries I wanted, we're kinda' stuck with some plain ol' chicken and rice."

"Why couldn't you get all your groceries? Were my cards declined?" Brittany worried.

"No, not that. It was probably some chick I slept with and never called must've recognized my car parked on the street and she slashed my tires and keyed the car. Same old shit, just a different day." She simply answered as she began to cut some cilantro.

Brittany was worried but she knew it wasn't the first time Santana's car had been ruined.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry about your whip but I'm glad you're safe, babe." Santana turned around and smiled at Brittany. "Okay, you continue to cook for me like the good, little housewife that you are while I just sit and watch you work up a sweat." She smirked at Santana.

They ate on the couch cuddled up and watching one of Brittany's and surprisingly Santana's childhood favorites, Sweet Valley High. It was a much needed distraction from the day before.

/

A couple mornings after, Santana woke up alone. There was no blonde cuddled into her side. There was no blonde hair splayed all over her face. There was no one with her hand under her shirt subtlety trying to cop a feel.

There was no Brittany.

After wiping the sleep from her eyes, she swung her legs over the side of her bed to get up. She desperately needed to pee so she quickly took a ninja pee because she really wanted to see Brittany. There was nothing cuter than a recently awoken Brittany; her eyes still droopy with sleep, her mumbling, and bed hair were not to be missed. She also brushed her teeth in case she got a little lucky.

As she made her way toward the kitchen, where Brittany's appetite most likely led her, she heard Brittany talking. Santana wondered to whom she would be talking. Work? Maybe her sister? When she got to the kitchen, she saw Brittany slightly hunched over a plate of toast with her phone to her ear.

"No, Amandaaa. I'm fine. I promise I'm fine. You just worry about pushing out your baby." Brittany said and took a bite of toast. "No, I swear. Santana is treating me like a princess. If she were taller, she'd even try to carry me everywhere. She's been the only good thing to come out of this mess I got myself in. She takes care of me." Brittany looked up and smiled sweetly at Santana. "You'll meet her soon, I promise. I have to go but I'll check up on you before you pop him out. Bye, love you, sis."

Brittany put her phone down on the counter. "It's not polite to listen in on people's conversations, Santana." She playfully scolded Santana while slowly inching of the bar stool and walked toward her. "Hey, baby." She greeted Santana while wrapping her arms around Santana's neck, pulling her into a gentle kiss. "Good morning, how are you on this fine day?" Brittany reluctantly let go of her and went to put her plate in the sink.

"I'm horrible. I woke up all alone and then I walk into the kitchen to see that my precious supply of toast is being dwindled by a certain someone." Santana teased and wrapped her arms around Brittany's waist when she came back. "But alas, a mere kiss from thy lips shall be the perfect cure for the horrid condition that ails me."

Brittany couldn't help but laugh and lean down to kiss Santana once more. "That's our 17th kiss?" Brittany asks as she Santana nuzzles into her neck.

Breathing in Brittany's scent and loving the warmth surrounding her, Santana cannot picture herself hugging anyone other than Brittany again. "I have no idea but it feels like we've been kissing for years, doesn't it? I think I found my new favorite thing to do." Santana quietly admitted.

"Absolutely."

"How are you feeling? Any new discomfort? Numbness? Difficulty breathing? How's your nausea?" Santana asked in her doctor voice but still keeping a hold on Brittany.

"I'm fine. I was just about to take my meds, including the one for nausea, so hopefully I'll still be nausea free. I really like the new you meds you switched me to. The other ones made me all loopy and sleepy. These make me not feel any pain but I'm still lucid."

Santana pulled back to get a closer look at Brittany's face. "Okay, good. Your lip and eyebrow are looking better. How does your cheek feel?" Santana gently tilted Brittany's face to look at the bruising more clearly.

"I feel pressure but no pain. When are the stitches on the inside of my cheek getting removed? It's annoying." She asked making a face.

"Those don't get removed. Your body will absorb those."

Brittany didn't respond verbally but she did hold Santana tighter and seemingly get lost in her eyes.

"Thank you." Brittany let out as she let out a deep breath.

"For what, baby?" Santana asked confused.

"For being here with me. For holding me at night. For changing my bandages. For giving me sweet lady kisses when I'm sad. For just being with me. I really can't tell you how much I appreciate you and how much I've grown to need you." Brittany's voice began to shake and her eyes watered. She closed her eyes to gather herself. "Damn it, Santana, I'm so sorry. I swear I don't know how he found me." Brittany voices as she gently runs her fingers over Santana's neck, tracing the fading bruises Sam left.

Santana doesn't know what to say to Brittany to get her to understand that she'd do it all over again for her. Without a second thought, she'd do it a million times if she had to. There was just something about Brittany. It could be her eyes, her perfect eyes. Not only were they the most beautiful shade of blue, they were kind and seductive. Her eyes were really the first thing Santana noticed about Brittany, and not just the trauma victim that was brought into the hospital that one night.

"Brittany, I hate that you're going through this, absolutely fucking hate this, but you don't have to worry about thanking me or apologizing. I'm here because I want to be here. I'm not here out of guilt or pity. I want to be with you, I want to protect you. I'll be here for as long as you want me to be." Santana rested her forehead on Brittany's, "Just let me be here, okay?"

Brittany didn't answer, she just kissed Santana. "Okay."

"Good. Did you eat enough or do want me to make you something else?" Santana asked as she carefully wiped away Brittany's tears.

"I'm good, I'll be good to take my meds. Don't worry."

"Okay, good. I'm going to go outside for a quick smoke." Santana pecked Brittany's lips. "I like being able to finally kiss you. The first couple of days were so hard on my lips." Santana giggled as she kissed her again.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wait, I didn't know you smoked." The blonde asked as she furrowed her brow.

"Well, I usually just stick with cigars but every once in a while I'll smoke a cigarette." Santana answered as she reached for her pack of cigarettes on top of the fridge. "Is that all right?" Santana awkwardly asked, she wasn't used to having to run her decisions through anyone else.

"Uh, yeah, that's fine. I was just a bit surprised because I've never smelled it on you. Go do what you gotta do. I'll be in our bed. I know I laughed at you for getting the new mattress but it's soooo comfortable."

"Told ya' so."

Santana made her way to the balcony and quickly lit up when she was finally outside. She closed her eyes as she let the warm smoke course through her lungs. As she exhaled, she brought her feet up and leaned back into her chair. She needed this cigarette. She needed this to take off the edge. These past couple weeks have been rough. This was too much emotional stress. She hasn't felt this helpless since Quinn had the trouble with the twins' pregnancy.

She has to deal with making sure Brittany doesn't feel responsible for anything Sam has done. She thought that Brittany was holding up better than she really is. Even after constantly telling Brittany how much she cares for her and how she won't leave her, she can tell that Brittany doesn't think she's worth it. But what else can she expect? Brittany's dealt with Sam's bullshit for years, a couple weeks with her isn't going to undo everything. She began to tap her lighter against the patio table she was sitting at.

She took another drag and shook her head. Then, apart from trying to comfort Brittany, Santana's had to deal with this new intimacy she has with Brittany. She loves when Brittany holds onto her as if she was never letting go. She loves it when Brittany holds onto to her as if she couldn't get enough. She loves her warmth and how she breath tickles her neck when they're cuddling. She loves it when she gets to wake Brittany up with butterfly kisses. She loves all that but she's not sure what it all means.

She obviously wants to be in a relationship despite not knowing the protocol. But does Brittany only want her because she's afraid? Does Brittany have feelings for her because she genuinely wants to be with her or because she saved Brittany's life?

As she puts out her cigarette and lights another one, she looks out to the city. She knows Sam is out there. She can feel it. She's not excusing his behavior but she can understand why. As fucked up as Sam is to hurt Brittany like he has, he understands how amazing Brittany is. That's why he's fighting tooth and nail to get her back. She gets that, she really does. Which is why she'll do whatever it takes to make sure she never loses Brittany, regardless of why Brittany has feelings for her.

She taps the lighter on the patio table over and over and over. She chuckles as she thinks about how Brittany teases her whenever they get a little carried with the kissing. Brittany can't have sex and has repeatedly told her during their heart – to – hearts that it's better with feelings. Santana's inclined to agree; everything they've done thus far, as innocent as has been, has been exponentially better than anything else she's done. But it still doesn't stop her vagina from going through withdrawals.

The first time they have sex, or more appropriately make love, it's bound to be perfectly earth-shattering. It has to be, she reasons as she continues to methodically tap the lighter. Their first kiss was one for the record books. Not only was it beautiful, it was amidst the most frightening experience of her life. How something so perfect can come out of something so wrong was beyond her.

She didn't want to think back to Brittany's face when she saw Sam but she knows she'll never be able to forget.

_Brittany will always be mine, Doctor Lopez_

_You can stop playing house now_

Santana remembers what Sam spat at her, the venom in his voice echoing in her head.

_Brittany will always be mine, Doctor Lopez_

_You can stop playing house now_

She sat and tossed the filter in the ashtray.

_Brittany will always be mine, Doctor Lopez_

_You can stop playing house now _

She could feel the bile coming up. He knows her name. He's has to know who she is. Where she is. Where she and Brittany are.

_Brittany will always be mine, Doctor Lopez_

_You can stop playing house now_

She got up and ran to her bedroom. She needed to see Brittany. She needed Brittany to calm her down. She needed to tell Nichole.

"Brittany! Baby, where's my phone?" Santana asks as she walks into the room, looking around for her phone.

"I have it." Brittany answers as she holds up the phone. "I was going through the pictures we've taken together. What's wrong?" She sits up and hands Santana the phone.

"Sam knew my name and he said we were playing house. I think he must have been following me. If he was following me, he must know that you're here with me. I don't think we can stay here anymore. I know I said I can protect you but I thought we had secrecy on our side. If he knows where you are, I don't know if I can keep him away from you know. Fuck! How could I forget to mention this! Fuck!" Santana ranted as she walked back and forth in front of the bed.

Brittany didn't say anything. She just stood up and stopped Santana from pacing by wrapping her arms around her. "Breathe, honey. Breathe." Brittany tried to soothe Santana but she began to feel her body shake as she began to sob.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I can't protect you. I'm sorry. I just want you safe. I can't lose you, I can't." Santana let out between sobs.

Brittany pulled back and cupped Santana's face before crashing their lips together. She poured everything she could into the kiss; gratitude, appreciation, want, need, love, happiness, satisfaction, peace. Everything. When she felt Santana kissing back, she slowly pulled back and waited for her eyes to flutter open.

"Calm down. Nothing's happened. I'm sorry I pulled you into this but as long as we're together, nothing will happen. If nothing else, we have each other. You even said it yourself, this place is a baby Fort Knox. Nothing will happen but let's just tell Nichole. Okay?" Santana nodded and Brittany gave her sweet kiss. "I'm going to get you some water. You call her and tell her what you remembered."

Brittany left Santana and walked to the kitchen, trying to keep her tears at bay. She didn't know what got to her more. Knowing that Sam most likely knew where they were or knowing how much this is affecting Santana. Santana is so much more than just her hero. In the last couple of weeks, Santana's become everything to her. She can't bare to see Santana cry like that.

She takes a couple deep breaths ignoring the throbbing in her ribs and composes herself. She opens the fridge to pull out a bottle of water and heads back to their room.

"... vandalized a few days back. It's in the shop but there's no rush because I don't really need my car now." Santana told Nichole over the phone.

Brittany chastised herself. Of course it wasn't one of Santana's hook ups. How could she not realized it was Sam?

Santana noticed how Brittany's shoulders slumped and figured she must be blaming herself again. She put the phone on speaker and sat on the bed, pulling Brittany into her lap. She gently wrapped herself around the blonde and whispered into her ear, "I'm so glad I met you, baby."

"... unmarked car following you. Don't worry, this might be a blessing in disguise. If he knows where you are, he might lose his patience and try to get you there but he won't get very far before an undercover can get to him." Nichole's voice came through the speaker.

Santana rested her chin on Brittany's shoulder, "Well, what if I don't feel comfortable using Brittany as bait? What if I move us? Will the authorities still provide the same level of security?"

"San, I don't think moving is necessary. He won't attack the building, just you two."

"Well, fuck, like that's any better." Santana said as she rolled her eyes.

"I mean, he isn't the type to learn how to make pipe bombs on the internet and take out your entire apartment building. It's personal so he's seeking a one – on – one interaction. As long as you have a cop a with you, you'll be fine."

"Okay, fine. Brittany and I will talk about it and let you know."

"Sure, San. If you need anything at all, let me know. Bye, San." Nichole says as she hangs up.

"Well, bye to you too, Nichole." Brittany sarcastically says.

"What do you want to do, pumpkin?" Santana asks as she gently kisses Brittany's neck.

"As much as I hate to admit it, the slut's right. Sam is dumb as a bag of wet hair, I don't think he'll figure out how to get up here. But when we have to go out, yeah, I'd like a cop with me." the blonde told Santana as she intertwined her fingers with the ones Santana had on her stomach.

"Okay, we'll stay but I'm getting us private security. I don't trust those pigs anymore. They probably still haven't fired that Puckerman dumbass. We don't have to be anywhere for a few more weeks but we'll start calling around later today, if that's all right with you?"

"Anything you want to do, baby. I trust you with my life." Brittany said as she turned her head to look at Santana.

Santana gently kissed Brittany, pulling her bottom lip in between hers. She moans as she feels Brittany timidly sneak her tongue into her mouth. Their tongues collide and Santana whimpers. Brittany's pulls back only to reposition herself so she's straddling Santana's lap. Ignoring the burning in her ribs and the pressure in her chest, she pulls Santana towards her by the back of her neck, crashing their lips together again. Santana runs her hands up and down Brittany's thighs as Brittany begins to suck on her tongue, making Santana moan and grip Brittany's thighs even harder.

Brittany kisses Santana's jaw as lets her hand wander down her chest and cups Santana's breast.

"Britt." Santana exhales and keeps moving her hands until their running over Brittany's perfect ass.

"I'm so glad I met you too, baby." Brittany breathes next to Santana's ear before sucking on her earlobe. Brittany sneaks her hand under Santana's shirt and slowly runs her nails over Santana's abs, making her shiver. Santana tangles her hand into Brittany's hair, pulling her even closer. "I'm so glad I get to kiss you." Brittany lets go of her lobe and starts to suck on the spot she recently discovered could make Santana purr.

Santana breath hitches and she squeezes Brittany's ass harder. Brittany groans and begins to slowly rock into Santana. "Brittany, you feel so good. Don't stop." Santana husks out.

She feels Brittany's knuckles graze the bottom of her breast. "I won't stop. I can't stop. I'm so glad I get to do this." Brittany says as she roughly squeezes Santana's breast, making her cry out in pleasure. "Do you like that, baby? Do you?" Santana feels Brittany grinding harder and she feels Brittany gently dig her teeth into her neck.

Having the woman of her new found dreams, moving so sinfully in her lap, pinching her nipple so good, made her so wet but she knew she had to stop. Brittany couldn't. The more they continued this, the harder it would be to stop.

"Britt." Santana said as she begrudgingly pushed Brittany back. Brittany's eyes were closed, her hair disheveled and her lips swollen.

"Did I do something wrong?" Brittany asked out of breath when she finally opened her eyes.

"No, trust me, you were doing every thing right. I just didn't want us getting to carried away. You're still healing and I want our first time to be special. I don't want us to make love for the first time because we were trying to find comfort after shit news." Santana confesses as she holds Brittany's hands.

"Aww, who woulda' thought Slutty Santana would want to make love?" Brittany teased.

"Hey, if it were anyone else, it'd be fucking but with you it's making love. Don't get it twisted." the doctor playfully glared at Brittany.

"Fine. But just so you know, it doesn't matter if our first time is in a five star hotel over – looking the Riviera or in a yacht in the middle of the ocean or at Motel 6 a couple miles out of town. All that matters is that it's you and me. Just us. You're right though, now that I've calmed down a bit, my chest hurts."

"Well, that's what you get when you think with your pussy."

Brittany was just about to respond when Santana's phone went off. Brittany answered it thinking it'd be Nichole. "Hello."

"_Santana?"_

Brittany didn't recognize the voice so she quickly looked at the phone to see who it was.

_Mamí. _

She looked up to see Santana mouth "who is it?"

"No, Dr. Lopez. It's Brittany." Brittany answered and Santana's eyes widen in realization.


End file.
